§4.1#2κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν δʼ ἡ ἐλευθεριότης λέγεται· οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν διδομένων τὸ ἐλευθέριον, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῇ τοῦ διδόντος ἕξει, αὕτη δὲ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν δίδωσιν.
And liberality is spoken of in relation to one's substance; for the liberal character is not in the quantity of what is given, but in the state of the giver, and this state gives in relation to one's substance.
οὐθὲν δὴ κωλύει ἐλευθεριώτερον εἶναι τὸν τὰ ἐλάττω διδόντα, ἐὰν ἀπʼ ἐλαττόνων διδῷ.
Therefore, nothing prevents the one who gives less from being more liberal, if he gives from less.
ἐλευθεριώτεροι δὲ εἶναι δοκοῦσιν οἱ μὴ κτησάμενοι ἀλλὰ παραλαβόντες τὴν οὐσίαν· ἄπειροί τε γὰρ τῆς ἐνδείας, καὶ πάντες ἀγαπῶσι μᾶλλον τὰ αὑτῶν ἔργα, ὥσπερ οἱ γονεῖς καὶ οἱ ποιηταί.
And those who have not acquired but inherited their substance seem to be more liberal; for they are inexperienced in want, and everyone loves their own works more, just like parents and poets.
πλουτεῖν δʼ οὐ ῥᾴδιον τὸν ἐλευθέριον, μήτε ληπτικὸν ὄντα μήτε φυλακτικόν, προετικὸν δὲ καὶ μὴ τιμῶντα διʼ αὐτὰ τὰ χρήματα ἀλλʼ ἕνεκα τῆς δόσεως.
But it is not easy for the liberal person to be rich, since he is neither taking nor keeping, but rather spending and values wealth not for its own sake but for the sake of giving.
διὸ καὶ ἐγκαλεῖται τῇ τύχῃ ὅτι οἱ μάλιστα ἄξιοι ὄντες ἥκιστα πλουτοῦσιν.
Hence fortune is also blamed because those who are most worthy are least rich.
συμβαίνει δʼ οὐκ ἀλόγως τοῦτο· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε χρήματʼ ἔχειν μὴ ἐπιμελόμενον ὅπως ἔχῃ, ὥσπερ οὐδʼ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων.
And this happens not without reason; for it is not possible to have wealth without taking care to have it, just as is the case with other things.
οὐ μὴν δώσει γε οἷς οὐ δεῖ οὐδʼ ὅτε μὴ δεῖ, οὐδʼ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἔτι πράττοι κατὰ τὴν ἐλευθεριότητα, καὶ εἰς ταῦτα ἀναλώσας οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι εἰς ἃ δεῖ ἀναλίσκειν.
He will not, however, give to whom he ought not, nor when he ought not, nor other such things; for he would no longer be acting according to liberality, and if he spent on these things, he would not have the means to spend on what he ought.
ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴρηται, ἐλευθέριός ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν δαπανῶν καὶ εἰς ἃ δεῖ· ὁ δʼ ὑπερβάλλων ἄσωτος.
For as has been said, the liberal person is one who spends according to his substance and on what he ought; while he who exceeds is prodigal.
διὸ τοὺς τυράννους οὐ λέγομεν ἀσώτους· τὸ γὰρ πλῆθος τῆς κτήσεως οὐ δοκεῖ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι ταῖς δόσεσι καὶ ταῖς δαπάναις ὑπερβάλλειν.
Therefore, we do not call tyrants prodigal; for it does not seem easy to exceed in gifts and expenditures given the abundance of their possessions.
τῆς ἐλευθεριότητος δὴ μεσότητος οὔσης περὶ χρημάτων δόσιν καὶ λῆψιν, ὁ ἐλευθέριος καὶ δώσει καὶ δαπανήσει εἰς ἃ δεῖ καὶ ὅσα δεῖ, ὁμοίως ἐν μικροῖς καὶ μεγάλοις, καὶ ταῦτα ἡδέως· καὶ λήψεται δʼ ὅθεν δεῖ καὶ ὅσα δεῖ.
Since, then, liberality is a mean concerned with the giving and taking of wealth, the liberal person will both give and spend on what he ought and as much as he ought, equally in small things and in great, and do so gladly; and he will also take from where he ought and as much as he ought.
τῆς ἀρετῆς γὰρ περὶ ἄμφω οὔσης μεσότητος, ποιήσει ἀμφότερα ὡς δεῖ· ἕπεται γὰρ τῇ ἐπιεικεῖ δόσει ἡ τοιαύτη λῆψις, ἡ δὲ μὴ τοιαύτη ἐναντία ἐστίν.
For since virtue is a mean concerned with both, he will do both as he ought; for such taking follows upon decent giving, whereas taking which is not of this kind is contrary to it.
αἱ μὲν οὖν ἑπόμεναι γίνονται ἅμα ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ, αἱ δʼ ἐναντίαι δῆλον ὡς οὔ.
Thus, those that follow upon each other occur together in the same person, but those that are contrary clearly do not.
ἐὰν δὲ παρὰ τὸ δέον καὶ τὸ καλῶς ἔχον συμβαίνῃ αὐτῷ ἀναλίσκειν, λυπήσεται, μετρίως δὲ καὶ ὡς δεῖ· τῆς ἀρετῆς γὰρ καὶ ἥδεσθαι καὶ λυπεῖσθαι ἐφʼ οἷς δεῖ καὶ ὡς δεῖ.
And if it happens that he spends contrary to what is right and noble, he will be pained, but moderately and as he ought; for it is characteristic of virtue both to be pleased and to be pained at what one ought and as one ought.
καὶ εὐκοινώνητος δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ ἐλευθέριος εἰς χρήματα· δύναται γὰρ ἀδικεῖσθαι, μὴ τιμῶν γε τὰ χρήματα, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀχθόμενος εἴ τι δέον μὴ ἀνάλωσεν ἢ λυπούμενος εἰ μὴ δέον τι ἀνάλωσεν, καὶ τῷ Σιμωνίδῃ οὐκ ἀρεσκόμενος.
Moreover, the liberal person is easy to associate with in money matters; for he is capable of being wronged, since he does not value wealth, and he is more annoyed if he did not spend something he ought than he is pained if he spent something he ought not, and he is not pleased with Simonides.
ὁ δʼ ἄσωτος καὶ ἐν τούτοις διαμαρτάνει· οὔτε γὰρ ἥδεται ἐφʼ οἷς δεῖ οὐδὲ ὡς δεῖ οὔτε λυπεῖται· ἔσται δὲ προϊοῦσι φανερώτερον.
But the prodigal errs in these matters too; for he is neither pleased at what he ought nor as he ought, nor is he pained; but this will be clearer as we proceed.
εἴρηται δὴ ἡμῖν ὅτι ὑπερβολαὶ καὶ ἐλλείψεις εἰσὶν ἡ ἀσωτία καὶ ἡ ἀνελευθερία, καὶ ἐν δυσίν, ἐν δόσει καὶ λήψει· καὶ τὴν δαπάνην γὰρ εἰς τὴν δόσιν τίθεμεν.
We have said, then, that prodigality and illiberality are excesses and deficiencies, and in two things, giving and taking; for we place spending under giving.
ἡ μὲν οὖν ἀσωτία τῷ διδόναι καὶ μὴ λαμβάνειν ὑπερβάλλει, τῷ δὲ λαμβάνειν ἐλλείπει, ἡ δʼ ἀνελευθερία τῷ διδόναι μὲν ἐλλείπει, τῷ λαμβάνειν δʼ ὑπερβάλλει, πλὴν ἐν μικροῖς.
Thus, prodigality exceeds in giving and not taking, but is deficient in taking; whereas illiberality is deficient in giving, but exceeds in taking, except in small things.
τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἀσωτίας οὐ πάνυ συνδυάζεται· οὐ γὰρ ῥᾴδιον μηδαμόθεν λαμβάνοντα πᾶσι διδόναι· ταχέως γὰρ ἐπιλείπει ἡ οὐσία τοὺς ἰδιώτας διδόντας, οἵπερ καὶ δοκοῦσιν ἄσωτοι εἶναι· ἐπεὶ ὅ γε τοιοῦτος δόξειεν ἂν οὐ μικρῷ βελτίων εἶναι τοῦ ἀνελευθέρου.
Now, the characteristics of prodigality are not altogether combined; for it is not easy to give to everyone while taking from nowhere; for substance quickly fails private individuals who give, who are indeed the ones who seem to be prodigal; since such a person would seem to be not a little better than the illiberal person.
εὐίατός τε γάρ ἐστι καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπορίας, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέσον δύναται ἐλθεῖν.
For he is easily cured both by age and by poverty, and is capable of arriving at the mean.
ἔχει γὰρ τὰ τοῦ ἐλευθερίου· καὶ γὰρ δίδωσι καὶ οὐ λαμβάνει, οὐδέτερον δʼ ὡς δεῖ οὐδʼ εὖ.
For he has the characteristics of the liberal person; for he both gives and does not take, though he does neither as he ought nor well.
εἰ δὴ τοῦτο ἐθισθείη ἤ πως ἄλλως μεταβάλοι, εἴη ἂν ἐλευθέριος· δώσει γὰρ οἷς δεῖ, καὶ οὐ λήψεται ὅθεν οὐ δεῖ.
If indeed he were to be habituated in this way or change in some other manner, he would be liberal; for he will give to whom he ought, and will not take from where he ought not.
διὸ καὶ δοκεῖ οὐκ εἶναι φαῦλος τὸ ἦθος· οὐ γὰρ μοχθηροῦ οὐδʼ ἀγεννοῦς τὸ ὑπερβάλλειν διδόντα καὶ μὴ λαμβάνοντα, ἠλιθίου δέ.
Hence he also seems not to be base in character; for to exceed in giving and not taking is not the mark of a vicious or ignoble person, but of a foolish one.