§4.1#3ὁ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἄσωτος πολὺ δοκεῖ βελτίων τοῦ ἀνελευθέρου εἶναι διά τε τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ ὅτι ὃ μὲν ὠφελεῖ πολλούς, ὃ δὲ οὐθένα, ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ αὑτόν.
The prodigal of this sort seems to be much better than the illiberal person, both for the reasons mentioned, and because the former benefits many, while the latter benefits no one, not even himself.
ἀλλʼ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀσώτων, καθάπερ εἴρηται, καὶ λαμβάνουσιν ὅθεν μὴ δεῖ, καὶ εἰσὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ἀνελεύθεροι.
But most prodigal people, as has been said, both take from where they ought not, and are in this respect illiberal.
ληπτικοὶ δὲ γίνονται διὰ τὸ βούλεσθαι μὲν ἀναλίσκειν, εὐχερῶς δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖν μὴ δύνασθαι· ταχὺ γὰρ ἐπιλείπει αὐτοὺς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα.
They become eager to take because they wish to spend, but are not able to do this easily; for their possessions quickly fail them.
ἀναγκάζονται οὖν ἑτέρωθεν πορίζειν.
They are therefore forced to provide from elsewhere.
ἅμα δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ μηδὲν τοῦ καλοῦ φροντίζειν ὀλιγώρως καὶ πάντοθεν λαμβάνουσιν· διδόναι γὰρ ἐπιθυμοῦσι, τὸ δὲ πῶς ἢ πόθεν οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς διαφέρει.
At the same time, because they care nothing for the noble, they take carelessly and from everywhere; for they desire to give, but how or from where matters nothing to them.
διόπερ οὐδʼ ἐλευθέριοι αἱ δόσεις αὐτῶν εἰσίν· οὐ γὰρ καλαί, οὐδὲ τούτου ἕνεκα, οὐδὲ ὡς δεῖ·
Therefore, their givings are not even liberal; for they are not noble, nor for the sake of this, nor as they ought.
ἀλλʼ ἐνίοτε οὓς δεῖ πένεσθαι, τούτους πλουσίους ποιοῦσι, καὶ τοῖς μὲν μετρίοις τὰ ἤθη οὐδὲν ἂν δοῖεν, τοῖς δὲ κόλαξιν ἤ τινʼ ἄλλην ἡδονὴν πορίζουσι πολλά.
But sometimes they make rich those who ought to be poor, and while they would give nothing to those who are moderate in character, they give much to flatterers or to those who provide them with some other pleasure.
διὸ καὶ ἀκόλαστοι αὐτῶν εἰσὶν οἱ πολλοί· εὐχερῶς γὰρ ἀναλίσκοντες καὶ εἰς τὰς ἀκολασίας δαπανηροί εἰσι, καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ πρὸς τὸ καλὸν ζῆν πρὸς τὰς ἡδονὰς ἀποκλίνουσιν.
Hence most of them are also intemperate; for spending easily, they are also lavish on intemperate things, and because they do not live with a view to the noble, they incline toward pleasures.
ὁ μὲν οὖν ἄσωτος ἀπαιδαγώγητος γενόμενος εἰς ταῦτα μεταβαίνει, τυχὼν δʼ ἐπιμελείας εἰς τὸ μέσον καὶ εἰς τὸ δέον ἀφίκοιτʼ ἄν.
The prodigal person, then, if left without guidance, turns into these ways, but if he meets with care, he may arrive at the mean and what is right.
ἡ δʼ ἀνελευθερία ἀνίατός τʼ ἐστίν (δοκεῖ γὰρ τὸ γῆρας καὶ πᾶσα ἀδυναμία ἀνελευθέρους ποιεῖν), καὶ συμφυέστερον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τῆς ἀσωτίας· οἱ γὰρ πολλοὶ φιλοχρήματοι μᾶλλον ἢ δοτικοί.
But illiberality is both incurable (for old age and every kind of weakness seem to make people illiberal), and is more connatural to humans than prodigality; for most people are lovers of wealth rather than givers.
καὶ διατείνει δʼ ἐπὶ πολύ, καὶ πολυειδές ἐστιν· πολλοὶ γὰρ τρόποι δοκοῦσι τῆς ἀνελευθερίας εἶναι.
It also extends far, and has many forms; for there seem to be many ways of being illiberal.
ἐν δυσὶ γὰρ οὖσα, τῇ τʼ ἐλλείψει τῆς δόσεως καὶ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῆς λήψεως, οὐ πᾶσιν ὁλόκληρος παραγίνεται, ἀλλʼ ἐνίοτε χωρίζεται, καὶ οἳ μὲν τῇ λήψει ὑπερβάλλουσιν, οἳ δὲ τῇ δόσει ἐλλείπουσιν.
Since it consists in two things, the deficiency in giving and the excess in taking, it does not occur whole and entire in everyone, but is sometimes divided, so that some exceed in taking, and others fall short in giving.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις προσηγορίαις οἷον φειδωλοὶ γλίσχροι κίμβικες, πάντες τῇ δόσει ἐλλείπουσι, τῶν δʼ ἀλλοτρίων οὐκ ἐφίενται οὐδὲ βούλονται λαμβάνειν, οἳ μὲν διά τινα ἐπιείκειαν καὶ εὐλάβειαν τῶν αἰσχρῶν ʽδ̔οκοῦσι γὰρ ἔνιοι ἢ φασί γε διὰ τοῦτο φυλάττειν, ἵνα μή ποτʼ ἀναγκασθῶσιν αἰσχρόν τι πρᾶξαι· τούτων δὲ καὶ ὁ κυμινοπρίστης καὶ πᾶς ὁ τοιοῦτος· ὠνόμασται δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τοῦ μηδὲν ἂν δοῦναἰ· οἳ δʼ αὖ διὰ φόβον ἀπέχονται τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ὡς οὐ ῥᾴδιον αὐτὸν μὲν τὰ ἑτέρων λαμβάνειν, τὰ δʼ αὐτοῦ ἑτέρους μή· ἀρέσκει οὖν αὐτοῖς τὸ μήτε λαμβάνειν μήτε διδόναι.
For those who are called by such names as 'sparing', 'stingy', and 'miserly' all fall short in giving, but they do not desire the property of others nor wish to take it—some indeed due to a certain decency and caution regarding shameful things (for some seem, or at least say they do, to guard their possessions for this reason, lest they should ever be forced to do something shameful; among these is the 'cumin-splitter' and everyone of that sort, named from his excess of never giving anything); while others again abstain from the property of others through fear, thinking it is not easy for oneself to take the property of others while others do not take one's own; they are therefore satisfied neither to take nor to give.
οἳ δʼ αὖ κατὰ τὴν λῆψιν ὑπερβάλλουσι τῷ πάντοθεν λαμβάνειν καὶ πᾶν, οἷον οἱ τὰς ἀνελευθέρους ἐργασίας ἐργαζόμενοι, πορνοβοσκοὶ καὶ πάντες οἱ τοιοῦτοι, καὶ τοκισταὶ κατὰ μικρὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῷ.
Others again exceed in taking by taking from everywhere and everything, such as those who work at illiberal occupations, brothel-keepers and all such people, and usurers who lend small sums at high interest.
πάντες γὰρ οὗτοι ὅθεν οὐ δεῖ λαμβάνουσι, καὶ ὁπόσον οὐ δεῖ.
For all these take from where they ought not, and as much as they ought not.
κοινὸν δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ἡ αἰσχροκέρδεια φαίνεται· πάντες γὰρ ἕνεκα κέρδους, καὶ τούτου μικροῦ, ὀνείδη ὑπομένουσιν.
What is common to them is clearly base love of gain; for they all endure disgrace for the sake of gain, and that a small one.
τοὺς γὰρ τὰ μεγάλα μὴ ὅθεν δὲ δεῖ λαμβάνοντας, μηδὲ ἃ δεῖ, οὐ λέγομεν ἀνελευθέρους, οἷον τοὺς τυράννους πόλεις πορθοῦντας καὶ ἱερὰ συλῶντας, ἀλλὰ πονηροὺς μᾶλλον καὶ ἀσεβεῖς καὶ ἀδίκους.
For those who take great things from where they ought not, and what they ought not, we do not call illiberal, such as tyrants who plunder cities and rob temples, but rather wicked, impious, and unjust.
ὁ μέντοι κυβευτὴς καὶ ὁ λωποδύτης καὶ ὁ λῃστὴς τῶν ἀνελευθέρων εἰσίν· αἰσχροκερδεῖς γάρ.
However, the gambler, the highwayman, and the robber are among the illiberal; for they are basely greedy.
κέρδους γὰρ ἕνεκα ἀμφότεροι πραγματεύονται καὶ ὀνείδη ὑπομένουσιν, καὶ οἳ μὲν κινδύνους τοὺς μεγίστους ἕνεκα τοῦ λήμματος, οἳ δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν φίλων κερδαίνουσιν, οἷς δεῖ διδόναι.
For both busy themselves and endure disgrace for the sake of gain, and some run the greatest risks for the sake of their loot, while others gain from their friends, to whom they ought to give.
ἀμφότεροι δὴ ὅθεν οὐ δεῖ κερδαίνειν βουλόμενοι αἰσχροκερδεῖς· καὶ πᾶσαι δὴ αἱ τοιαῦται λήψεις ἀνελεύθεροι.
Both, wishing to gain from where they ought not, are basely greedy; and all such takings are illiberal.
εἰκότως δὲ τῇ ἐλευθεριότητι ἀνελευθερία ἐναντίον λέγεται· μεῖζόν τε γάρ ἐστι κακὸν τῆς ἀσωτίας, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ ταύτην ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἢ κατὰ τὴν λεχθεῖσαν ἀσωτίαν.
It is with good reason that illiberality is called the contrary of liberality; for it is a greater evil than prodigality, and people err more in this direction than according to the prodigality we have spoken of.
περὶ μὲν οὖν ἐλευθεριότητος καὶ τῶν ἀντικειμένων κακιῶν τοσαῦτʼ εἰρήσθω.
Let this much, then, be said concerning liberality and the opposing vices.