Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §81.1

Value and Quantity: The Comparison of Gold and Bronze

Passage 83 of 196 · Greek

Summary

The author explains, using gold and bronze as an example, that even if something is superior by kind, a tiny part of it is not always preferable to a large quantity of the other, showing that quantity and size influence worth.

§81.1Fr. 81 Οὐκ, εἰ δή που τοῦτο τῷ γένει τιμώτερον, ἤδη καὶ, ὁτιοῦν ἂν ᾖ μέρος τούτου, πρὸς τὸ τηλίκον θατέρου συγκρινόμενον, αἱρετὸν ἔσται.
It is not the case that, if indeed this thing is more valuable by kind, immediately also whatever part of it there may be, when compared to a certain size of the other, will be more desirable.
Λέγω δὲ οἷον, οὐ καὶ χρυσίον τιμιώτερον χαλκοῦ καὶ τηλίκον τοῦ χρυσίου πρὸς τὸ τηλίκον χαλκοῦ μέγεθος ἀντιπαραβαλλόμενον πλέον δόξει;
I mean, for example: is not gold also more valuable than bronze? And will a gold piece of such a size, when compared to a bronze mass of such a size, seem to be more?
ἀλλὰ ποιήσει τινὰ ῥοπὴν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὸ μέγεθος.
Rather, both quantity and size will carry some weight.

Notes

  1. 81.1Οὐκ — The negative particle Οὐκ at the beginning of the sentence negates the entire conditional assertion from εἰ ... to the main clause ἤδη καὶ ... αἱρετὸν ἔσται ("It is not the case that, if..., immediately...").
  2. 81.1ὁτιοῦν ἂν ᾖ μέρος τούτου — A generalizing relative clause with the indefinite relative pronoun ὁστισοῦν, subjunctive ᾖ, and particle ἄν, meaning "whatever part of this there may be" (implying even an extremely small part).
  3. 81.1τηλίκον ... πρὸς τὸ τηλίκον — Contrastive use of the adjective τηλίκος ("of such a size"). Here it implies a comparison between disproportionate scales (e.g., an extremely small size of the first versus an extremely large size of the second).
  4. 81.1πλέον δόξει — πλέον (literally "more") here means "of greater value" or "preferable". The negative οὐ at the beginning of the sentence governs the first clause (the comparison of gold and bronze), while the second clause (comparing the small and large quantities) functions as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §81.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:81.1

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