§2.14.1οἱ δʼ ἀκμάζοντες φανερὸν ὅτι μεταξὺ τούτων τὸ ἦθος ἔσονται ἑκατέρων, ἀφαιροῦντες τὴν ὑπερβολήν, καὶ οὔτε σφόδρα θαρροῦντες (θρασύτης γὰρ τὸ τοιοῦτον) οὔτε λίαν φοβούμενοι, καλῶς δὲ πρὸς ἄμφω ἔχοντες,
Those who are in their prime will clearly have a character intermediate between these two, removing the excess, and neither being over-confident (for such a state is rashness) nor too fearful, but being well-disposed towards both.
§2.14.2οὔτε πᾶσι πιστεύοντες οὔτε πᾶσιν ἀπιστοῦντες, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ ἀληθὲς κρίνοντες μᾶλλον, καὶ οὔτε πρὸς τὸ καλὸν ζῶντες μόνον οὔτε πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἄμφω, καὶ οὔτε πρὸς φειδὼ οὔτε πρὸς ἀσωτίαν ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ ἁρμόττον,
And they neither trust everyone nor distrust everyone, but rather judge according to the truth; and they live neither for the beautiful alone nor for the useful alone, but for both; and they incline neither towards parsimony nor towards extravagance, but towards what is fitting.
§2.14.3ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πρὸς θυμὸν καὶ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ σώφρονες μετʼ ἀνδρείας καὶ ἀνδρεῖοι μετὰ σωφροσύνης.
Likewise also with respect to anger and desire; and they are self-controlled with courage, and courageous with self-control.
ἐν γὰρ τοῖς νέοις καὶ τοῖς γέρουσι διῄρηται ταῦτα· εἰσὶν γὰρ οἱ μὲν νέοι ἀνδρεῖοι καὶ ἀκόλαστοι, οἱ δὲ πρεσβύτεροι σώφρονες καὶ δειλοί.
For in the young and the old these qualities are divided; for the young are courageous and licentious, while the older men are self-controlled and cowardly.
ὡς δὲ καθόλου εἰπεῖν, ὅσα μὲν διῄρηνται ἡ νεότης καὶ τὸ γῆρας τῶν ὠφελίμων, ταῦτα ἄμφω ἔχουσιν, ὅσα δὲ ὑπερβάλλουσιν ἢ ἐλλείπουσιν, τούτων τὸ μέτριον καὶ τὸ ἁρμόττον.
To speak generally, whatever useful qualities youth and old age possess dividedly, they have both, and in whatever qualities those exceed or fall short, they possess the moderation and the fitting measure of these.
§2.14.4ἀκμάζει δὲ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἀπὸ τῶν τριάκοντα ἐτῶν μέχρι τῶν πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ περὶ τὰ ἑνὸς δεῖν πεντήκοντα.
The body is in its prime from thirty to thirty-five years, and the soul around forty-nine years (one wanting fifty).
περὶ μὲν οὖν νεότητος καὶ γήρως καὶ ἀκμῆς, ποίων ἠθῶν ἕκαστόν ἐστιν, εἰρήσθω τοσαῦτα.
Concerning youth, then, and old age, and the prime of life, and what kind of character belongs to each, let so much have been said.