§1.11.19καὶ τὸ ταὐτὰ πράττειν πολλάκις ἡδύ· τὸ γὰρ σύνηθες ἡδὺ ἦν.
And to do the same things often is pleasant; for what is customary was pleasant.
§1.11.20καὶ τὸ μεταβάλλειν ἡδύ· εἰς φύσιν γὰρ γίγνεται τὸ μεταβάλλειν· τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ ἀεὶ ὑπερβολὴν ποιεῖ τῆς καθεστώσης ἕξεως, ὅθεν εἴρηται
"
μεταβολὴ πάντων γλυκύ.
And to change is pleasant; for to change is to return to nature; for the same thing always produces an excess of the established state, whence it is said: "Change in all things is sweet.
"
διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τὰ διὰ χρόνου ἡδέα ἐστίν, καὶ ἄνθρωποι καὶ πράγματα· μεταβολὴ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ παρόντος ἐστίν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ σπάνιον τὸ διὰ χρόνου.
"For on this account also things that occur at intervals are pleasant, both men and things; for it is a change from the present, and at the same time what occurs at intervals is rare.
§1.11.21καὶ τὸ μανθάνειν καὶ τὸ θαυμάζειν ἡδὺ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ θαυμάζειν τὸ ἐπιθυμεῖν μαθεῖν ἐστιν, ὥστε τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἐπιθυμητόν, ἐν δὲ τῷ μανθάνειν τὸ εἰς τὸ κατὰ φύσιν καθίστασθαι.
And to learn and to admire are pleasant for the most part; for in admiring there is the desire to learn, so that the admirable is desirable, and in learning there is the settling into what is according to nature.
§1.11.22καὶ τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν καὶ τὸ εὖ πάσχειν τῶν ἡδέων· τὸ μὲν γὰρ εὖ πάσχειν τυγχάνειν ὧν ἐπιθυμοῦσι, τὸ δὲ εὖ ποιεῖν ἔχειν καὶ ὑπερέχειν, ὧν ἀμφοτέρων ἐφίενται.
And to do good and to receive good are among pleasant things; for to receive good is to obtain what they desire, and to do good is to possess and to excel, both of which they strive for.
διὰ δὲ τὸ ἡδὺ εἶναι τὸ εὐποιητικόν, καὶ τὸ ἐπανορθοῦν ἡδὺ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶν τοὺς πλησίον, καὶ τὸ τὰ ἐλλιπῆ ἐπιτελεῖν.
And because being beneficent is pleasant, to correct one's neighbors and to complete what is lacking are also pleasant to men.
§1.11.23ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ μανθάνειν τε ἡδὺ καὶ τὸ θαυμάζειν, καὶ τὰ τοιάδε ἀνάγκη ἡδέα εἶναι, οἷον τό τε μιμούμενον, ὥσπερ γραφικὴ καὶ ἀνδριαντοποιία καὶ ποιητική, καὶ πᾶν ὃ ἂν εὖ μεμιμημένον ᾖ, κἂν ᾖ μὴ ἡδὺ αὐτὸ τὸ μεμιμημένον· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτῳ χαίρει, ἀλλὰ συλλογισμὸς ἔστιν ὅτι τοῦτο ἐκεῖνο, ὥστε μανθάνειν τι συμβαίνει.
And since both learning and admiring are pleasant, it is necessary that also such things as follow are pleasant, for instance, that which is imitative, such as painting, sculpture, and poetry, and everything which has been well imitated, even if the imitated object itself is not pleasant; for one does not rejoice in the object itself, but there is a reasoning that 'this is that,' so that it happens that one learns something.
§1.11.24καὶ αἱ περιπέτειαι καὶ τὸ παρὰ μικρὸν σώζεσθαι ἐκ τῶν κινδύνων· πάντα γὰρ θαυμαστὰ ταῦτα.
And sudden turns of fortune and being saved from dangers by a hair's breadth; for all these are admirable.
§1.11.25καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν ἡδύ, τὰ συγγενῆ δὲ κατὰ φύσιν ἀλλήλοις ἐστίν, πάντα τὰ συγγενῆ καὶ ὅμοια ἡδέα ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ, οἷον ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ ἵππος ἵππῳ καὶ νέος νέῳ, ὅθεν καὶ αἱ παροιμίαι εἴρηνται,
ἧλιξ ἥλικα τέρπει
, καὶ
ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον
, καὶ
ἔγνω δὲ θὴρ θῆρα
,
καὶ γὰρ κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιόν
, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα.
And since what is according to nature is pleasant, and things related to each other are by nature related, all related and similar things are pleasant for the most part, as man to man, horse to horse, and youth to youth, whence also the proverbs are said: 'Equal delights equal,' and 'How always the like,' and 'Beast knows beast,' and 'For jackdaw to jackdaw,' and as many other such sayings as there are.
§1.11.26ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ ὅμοιον καὶ τὸ συγγενὲς ἑαυτῷ ἡδὺ ἅπαν, μάλιστα δὲ αὐτὸς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἕκαστος τοῦτο πέπονθεν, ἀνάγκη πάντας φιλαύτους εἶναι ἢ μᾶλλον ἢ ἧττον· πάντα γὰρ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὑπάρχει πρὸς αὑτὸν μάλιστα.
And since what is similar and related is entirely pleasant to itself, and each person is most of all in this state toward himself, it is necessary that all are self-loving, either more or less; for all such relations exist most of all toward oneself.
ἐπεὶ δὲ φίλαυτοι πάντες, καὶ τὰ αὑτῶν ἀνάγκη ἡδέα εἶναι πᾶσιν, οἷον ἔργα καὶ λόγους· διὸ καὶ φιλοκόλακες ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ καὶ φιλερασταὶ καὶ φιλόμαιμοι καὶ φιλότεκνοι· αὐτῶν γὰρ ἔργον τὰ τέκνα.
And since all are self-loving, it is necessary that what is one's own is pleasant to all, as their own works and words; wherefore they are for the most part lovers of flatterers, lovers of lovers, lovers of imitation, and lovers of children; for children are their own work.
καὶ τὸ τὰ ἐλλιπῆ ἐπιτελεῖν ἡδύ· §1.11.27αὐτῶν γὰρ ἔργον ἤδη γίγνεται.
And to complete what is lacking is pleasant; for it becomes already their own work.
καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ ἄρχειν ἥδιστον, καὶ τὸ σοφὸν δοκεῖν εἶναι ἡδύ· ἀρχικὸν γὰρ τὸ φρονεῖν, ἔστιν δʼ ἡ σοφία πολλῶν καὶ θαυμαστῶν ἐπιστήμη.
And since to rule is most pleasant, to seem to be wise is also pleasant; for to have practical wisdom is fit for ruling, and wisdom is a knowledge of many and wonderful things.
ἔτι ἐπεὶ φιλότιμοι ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸ ἐπιτιμᾶν τοῖς πέλας ἡδὺ εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἄρχειν, §1.11.28καὶ τὸ ἐν ᾧ δοκεῖ βέλτιστος αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ εἶναι, ἐνταῦθα διατρίβειν, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ ποιητής φησι κἀπὶ τοῦτʼ ἐπείγει,
"
νέμων ἑκάστης ἡμέρας πλεῖστον μέρος,
ἵνʼ αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ τυγχάνει βέλτιστος ὤν. "
Furthermore, since they are for the most part ambitious, it is necessary that both to censure one's neighbors and to rule are pleasant, and to spend time in that in which a person thinks he is best, just as also the poet says and hastens to this: "dispensing the greatest part of each day, where he happens to be at his best.
§1.11.29ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐπεὶ ἡ παιδιὰ τῶν ἡδέων καὶ πᾶσα ἄνεσις, καὶ ὁ γέλως τῶν ἡδέων, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὰ γελοῖα ἡδέα εἶναι, καὶ ἀνθρώπους καὶ λόγους καὶ ἔργα· διώρισται δὲ περὶ γελοίων χωρὶς ἐν τοῖς περὶ ποιητικῆς.
"Likewise, since play and all relaxation are among pleasant things, and laughter is among pleasant things, it is necessary that also ridiculous things are pleasant, both men, words, and works; and concerning ridiculous things a separate definition has been given in the Poetics.
περὶ μὲν οὖν ἡδέων εἰρήσθω ταῦτα, τὰ δὲ λυπηρὰ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων τούτοις φανερά.
Concerning pleasant things, then, let this much be said; but painful things are clear from the opposites of these.