And whereas the incidents of chance are many, and
differ in greatness and smallness, the small pieces
of good or ill fortune evidently do not affect the
balance of life, but the great and numerous, if happening
for good, will make life more blessed (for it is their
nature to contribute to ornament, and the using of
them comes to be noble and excellent), but if for
ill, they bruise as it were and maim the blessedness:
for they bring in positive pain, and hinder many acts
of working. But still, even in these, nobleness
shines through when a man bears contentedly many and
great mischances not from insensibility to pain but
because he is noble and high-spirited.
And if, as we have said, the acts of working are what
determine the character of the life, no one of the
blessed can ever become wretched, because he will
never do those things which are hateful and mean.
For the man who is truly good and sensible bears all
fortunes, we presume, becomingly, and always does
what is noblest under the circumstances, just as a
good general employs to the best advantage the force
he has with him; or a good shoemaker makes the handsomest
shoe he can out of the leather which has been given
him; and all other good artisans likewise. And
if this be so, wretched never can the happy man come
to be: I do not mean to say he will be blessed
should he fall into fortunes like those of Priam.
Nor, in truth, is he shifting and easily changeable,
for on the one hand from his happiness he will not
be shaken easily nor by ordinary mischances, but,
if at all, by those which are great and numerous; and,
on the other, after such mischances he cannot regain
his happiness in a little time; but, if at all, in
a long and complete period, during which he has made
himself master of great and noble things.
Why then should we not call happy the man who works
in the way of perfect virtue, and is furnished with
external goods sufficient for acting his part in the
drama of life: and this during no ordinary period
but such as constitutes a complete life as we have
been describing it.
Or we must add, that not only is he to live so, but
his death must be in keeping with such life, since
the future is dark to us, and Happiness we assume
to be in every way an end and complete. And, if
this be so, we shall call them among the living blessed
who have and will have the things specified, but blessed
as Men.
On these points then let it suffice to have denned
thus much.
XI
Now that the fortunes of their descendants, and friends
generally, contribute nothing towards forming the
condition of the dead, is plainly a very heartless
notion, and contrary to the current opinions.
But since things which befall are many, and differ
in all kinds of ways, and some touch more nearly,
others less, to go into minute particular distinctions
would evidently be a long and endless task: and
so it may suffice to speak generally and in outline.
