The Nicomachean Ethics — trans. F. H. Peters (1881)

friend, and especially when he is in need and does not

* See a few lines on, end of § 5.

I

p. 316

Friendship is realized in living together.

claim assistance, for then it is nobler and pleasanter to both) : when they are in prosperity, we should go readily to help them (for this is one of the uses of a friend), but not so readily to share their good things ; for it is not a noble thing to be very ready to receive a benefit. But we may add that we ought to be careful that our refusal shall not seem ungracious, as sometimes happens.

The presence of friends, then, in conclusion, is manifestly desirable on all occasions.

12. Lovers delight above all things in the sight of each other, and prefer the gratification of this sense to that of all the others, as this sense is more concerned than any other in the being and origin of love. In like manner, we may venture to say, do friends find living together more desirable than anything else ; for friendship is essentially community.

Moreover, a man stands to his friend in the same relation in which he stands to himself: but with regard to himself the feeling of existence is desirable ; therefore the same feeling with regard to his friend ia desirable. But it is in a common life that they attain this feeling ; therefore they naturally desire a life in common.

Again, whatever that be which a man holds to constitute existence, or for the sake of which he chooses to live, in that he wishes to pass his time together with his friends ; and thus some drink together, others gamble, others practise gymnastics, or hunt, or study philosophy together — in each case spending their time together in that which they love most of all things in life ; for, wishing to live in12, 1-3.] FRIENDSHIP OR LOVE. 317 common with their friends, they do those things and take part together in those things which, as they think, constitute life in common.

Thus the friendship of those who are not good comes to be positively bad ; for, having no stability of character, they confirm each other in things that are not good, and thus become positively bad as they become more like one another. But the friendship of good men is good, and grows with their intercourse ; and they seem to become better as they exercise their faculties and correct each other's deficiencies : for each moulds himself to the likeness of that which he approves in the other ; whence the saying, " From good men thou shalt learn good things." *

So much, then, for friendship. We will now pass to the consideration of pleasure.

* f<rd\aiv fifv yh.p fix' eff0\a /ua0T;<r€at.— Theognis.

BOOK X.

CHAPTERS 1-5. PLEASURE.

neasonsfor 1- OuR next business, I think, should be to treat ^mre.^ of pleasuie. For pleasure seems, more than anything else, to have an intimate connection with our nature ; which is the reason why, in educating the young, we use pleasure and pain as the rudders of their course. Moreover, delight in what we ought to delight in, and hatred of what we ought to hate, seem to be of the utmost importance in the formation of a virtuous character; for these feelings pervade the whole of life, and have power to draw a man to virtue and happiness, as we choose what pleases, and shun what pains us.

And it would seem that the discussion of these matters is especially incumbent on us, since there is much dispute about them. There are people who say that the good is pleasure, and there are people who say, on the contrary, that pleasure is altogether bad — some, perhaps, in the conviction that it is really so, others because they think it has a good effect on men's lives to assert that pleasure is a bad thing, even though it be not; for the generality

2, 1.] PLEASURE. 319

:iien, they say, incline this way, and are slaves to ir pleasm-es, so that they ought to be pulled in the -3sit« direction : for thas they will be brought into the middle course.