§3.5#2ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἐστί τις παρὰ τὰς ἄλλας ἀρετὰς μία μεγαλοψυχία, ὥσπερ καὶ ἰδίᾳ μεγαλόψυχον τοῦτον λεκτέον τὸν ἔχοντα ταύτην.
But nevertheless there is one magnanimity alongside the other virtues, just as this man who possesses it must be called magnanimous in a specific sense.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐστὶν ἔνια τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὰ μὲν τίμια τὰ δʼ ὡς διωρίσθη πρότερον, τῶν τοιούτων ἀγαθῶν δὲ τὰ μὲν μεγάλα κατʼ ἀλήθειαν τὰ δὲ μικρά, καὶ τούτων ἔνιοι ἄξιοι καὶ ἀξιοῦσιν αὑτούς, ἐν τούτοις ζητητέος ὁ μεγαλόψυχος.
And since some of the goods are honorable and others are as defined before, and of such goods some are truly great and others small, and some are worthy of these and deem themselves worthy, the magnanimous man must be sought among these.
τετραχῶς δʼ ἀνάγκη διαφέρειν.
And it is necessary to differ in four ways.
ἔστι μὲν γὰρ ἄξιον εἶναι μεγάλων καὶ ἀξιοῦν ἑαυτὸν τούτων, ἔστι δὲ μικρὰ καὶ ἄξιόν τινα τηλικούτων καὶ ἀξιοῦν ἑαυτὸν τούτων, ἔστι δʼ ἀνάπαλιν πρὸς ἑκάτερα αὐτῶν· ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἂν εἴη τοιοῦτος οἷος ἄξιος ὢν μικρῶν μεγάλων ἀξιοῦν ἑαυτὸν τῶν ἐντίμων ἀγαθῶν, ὃ δὲ ἄξιος ὢν μεγάλων ἀξιοίη ἂν μικρῶν ἑαυτόν.
For there is being worthy of great things and deeming oneself worthy of them, and there is being worthy of small things, of such small size, and deeming oneself worthy of them, and there is the reverse toward each of them; for one would be such as to deem oneself worthy of great things of the honorable goods while being worthy of small things, and another who is worthy of great things would deem oneself worthy of small things.
ὁ μὲν οὖν ἄξιος μικρῶν, μεγάλων δʼ ἀξιῶν ἑαυτὸν ψεκτός (ἀνόητον γὰρ καὶ οὐ καλὸν τὸ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τυγχάνειν), ψεκτὸς δὲ καὶ ὅστις ἄξιος ὢν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ τῶν τοιούτων μετέχειν μὴ ἀξιοῖ ἑαυτόν· λείπεται δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἐναντίος τούτοις ἀμφοτέροις, ὅστις ὢν ἄξιος μεγάλων ἀξιοῖ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν τούτων, καὶ τοιοῦτός ἐστιν οἷος ἀξιοῦν ἑαυτόν.
Now, he who is worthy of small things but deems himself worthy of great things is blameworthy (for it is foolish and not noble to obtain contrary to one's worth), and also blameworthy is whoever, being worthy to partake of such things as belong to him, does not deem himself worthy of them; but there remains here the opposite of both of these, whoever, being worthy of great things, deems himself worthy of them, and is such as to deem himself worthy.
οὗτος ἐπαινετὸς καὶ μέσος τούτων.
This man is praiseworthy and is the mean between them.
ἐπεὶ οὖν περὶ τιμῆς αἵρεσιν καὶ χρῆσιν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἐντίμων ἀρίστη ἐστὶ διάθεσις ἡ μεγαλοψυχία, καὶ τοῦτʼ ἀποδίδομεν, καὶ οὐ περὶ τὰ χρήσιμα, τῷ μεγαλοψύχῳ, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἡ μεσότης αὕτη ἐπαινετωτάτη·
Since therefore magnanimity is the best disposition concerning the choice and use of honor and the other honorable goods, and we attribute this to the magnanimous man (and not concerning useful things), and at the same time this mean is most praiseworthy, it is clear that magnanimity would also be a mean.
δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἡ μεγαλοψυχία μεσότης ἂν εἴη, τῶν δʼ ἐναντίων, ὥσπερ διεγράψαμεν, ἡ μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀξιοῦν ἑαυτὸν ἀγαθῶν μεγάλων ἀνάξιον ὄντα χαυνότης (τοὺς τοιούτους γὰρ χαύνους λέγομεν, ὅσοι μεγάλων οἴονται ἄξιοι εἶναι οὐκ ὄντες), ἡ δὲ περὶ τὸ ἄξιον ὄντα μὴ ἀξιοῦν ἑαυτὸν μεγάλων μικροψυχία (μικροψύχου γὰρ εἶναι δοκεῖ, ὅστις ὑπαρχόντων διʼ ἃ δικαίως ἂν ἠξιοῦτο, μὴ ἀξιοῖ μηθενὸς μεγάλου ἑαυτόν), ὥστʼ ἀνάγκη καὶ τὴν μεγαλοψυχίαν εἶναι μεσότητα χαυνότητος καὶ μικροψυχίας.
Of the opposites, as we have drawn, the one toward deeming oneself worthy of great goods when being unworthy is vanity (for we call such people vain, as many as think themselves worthy of great things when they are not), and that concerning being worthy but not deeming oneself worthy of great things is small-mindedness (for it seems to belong to a small-minded man, whoever, when things belong to him because of which he would be justly deemed worthy, does not deem himself worthy of any great thing), so that it is necessary that magnanimity is also a mean between vanity and small-mindedness.
ὁ δὲ τέταρτος τῶν διορισθέντων οὔτε πάμπαν ψεκτὸς οὔτε μεγαλόψυχος, περὶ οὐδὲν ἔχον ὢν μέγεθος· οὔτε γὰρ ἄξιος οὔτε ἀξιοῖ μεγάλων, διὸ οὐκ ἐναντίος.
But the fourth of those defined is neither altogether blameworthy nor magnanimous, being concerned with no greatness; for he is neither worthy of nor deems himself worthy of great things, and therefore is not opposite.
καίτοι δόξειεν ἂν ἐναντίον εἶναι τῷ μεγάλων ἀξίῳ ὄντι μεγάλων τὸ μικρῶν ὄντα ἄξιον μικρῶν ἀξιοῦν ἑαυτόν.
Yet it would seem to be opposite to the man who is worthy of great things and deems himself worthy of great things, that he who is worthy of small things deems himself worthy of small things.
οὐκ ἔστι δʼ ἐναντίος οὔτε τῷ μὴ μεμπτὸς εἶναι (ὡς γὰρ ὁ λόγος κελεύει, ἔχει)· καὶ ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τῇ φύσει τῷ μεγαλοψύχῳ (ὧν γὰρ ἄξιοι, τούτων ἀξιοῦσιν αὑτοὺς ἄμφω)· καὶ ὃ μὲν γένοιτʼ ἂν μεγαλόψυχος (ἀξιώσει γὰρ ὧν ἐστιν ἄξιος), ὁ δὲ μικρόψυχος, ὃς ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ μεγάλων κατὰ τιμὴν ἀγαθῶν οὐκ ἀξιοῖ, τί ἂν ἐποίει, εἰ μικρῶν ἄξιος ἦν;
But he is not opposite, both by not being blameworthy (for he holds as reason commands), and he is the same in nature as the magnanimous man (for both deem themselves worthy of what they are worthy of); and the one might become magnanimous (for he will deem himself worthy of what he is worthy of), but the small-minded man, who when great goods in terms of honor belong to him does not deem himself worthy, what would he do if he were worthy of small things?
εἰ γὰρ μεγάλων ἀξιῶν χαῦνος ἦν, ἢ ἐλαττόνων ἔτι.
For if he deemed himself worthy of great things he would be vain, or even if he were worthy of still lesser things.
διὸ καὶ οὐθεὶς ἂν εἴποι μικρόψυχον, εἴ τις μέτοικος ὢν ἄρχειν μὴ ἀξιοῖ ἑαυτόν, ἀλλʼ ὑπείκει· ἀλλʼ εἴ τις εὐγενὴς ὢν καὶ ἡγούμενος μέγα εἶναι τὸ ἄρχειν.
Therefore no one would call a small-minded man if some resident alien does not deem himself worthy to rule, but yields; but if someone who is well-born does so, and thinks ruling to be a great thing.