§1.19.1— ἀρετῆς δέ γʼ ἐστὶ τέλος τὸ καλόν.
— But the end of virtue is the noble.
τούτου ἄρʼ ἐστὶ[ν ἡ ἀρετὴ] στοχαστικὴ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐξ ὧν ἔσται.
Therefore, [virtue] aims at this rather than at the means to it (from which it will be).
ἔτι δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ταύτης.
Moreover, these means also belong to it.
ὅλως δὲ δὴ φαίνεται ἄτοπον· ἴσως γὰρ ἂν ἐν γραφικῇ εἴη τις ἀγαθὸς μιμητής, ὅμως δὲ οὐκ ἂν ἐπαινεθείη, ἂν μὴ τὸν σκοπὸν θῇ τὰ βέλτιστα μιμεῖσθαι.
Yet, on the whole, this indeed seems strange; for perhaps in painting one might be a good imitator, but nevertheless would not be praised unless he made it his target to imitate the best things.
τῆς ἀρετῆς ἄρα παντελῶς τοῦτʼ ἐστίν, τὸ καλὸν προθέσθαι.
Therefore, to set before oneself the noble belongs entirely to virtue.
διὰ τί οὗν, ἄν τις εἴποι, πρότερον μὲν ἐλέγομεν τὴν ἐνέργειαν κρεῖττον εἶναι ἢ τὴν ἕξιν τὴν αὐτήν, νῦν δὲ οὐκ ἐξ οὗ ἡ ἐνέργεια, τοῦτο τῇ ἀρετῇ ἀποδίδομεν ὡς κάλλιον, ἀλλʼ ἐν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνέργεια;
Why then, someone might say, did we previously say that activity is better than the state itself, but now we do not attribute to virtue that from which activity proceeds as being more noble, but rather that in which there is no activity?
ναί, ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν φαμεν τοῦτο ὁμοίως, τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῆς ἕξεως βέλτιον εἶναι.
Yes, but even now we say likewise that activity is better than state.
οἱ γὰρ ἄλλοι ἄνθρωποι τὸν σπουδαῖον θεωροῦντες κρίνουσιν ἐκ τοῦ πράττειν, διὰ τὸ μὴ δυνατὸν εἶναι δηλῶσαι τὴν ἑκάστου προαίρεσιν ἣν ἔχει, ἐπεὶ εἰ ἦν εἰδέναι τὴν ἑκάστου γνώμην, ὡς ἔχει πρὸς τὸ καλόν, καὶ ἄνευ τοῦ πράττειν σπουδαῖος ἂν ἐδόκει εἶναι. [ἐπεὶ δὲ μεσότητάς τινας τῶν παθῶν κατηρ θᾶ, λεκτέον ἂν εἴη περὶ ποῖα τῶν παθῶν εἰσίν. ]
For other people, when observing the excellent person, judge him by his actions, because it is not possible to make clear the choice which each one has; since if it were possible to know each one's mind, how it stands towards the noble, he would be thought excellent even without action. [And since certain moderations of the passions have been established, we must state what kind of passions they are concerned with.]