Pagina 444 di 734

May we not say that the necessary bodily Pleasures are good in

the sense in which that which is not-bad is good? or that they

are good only up to a certain point? because such states or

movements as cannot have too much of the better cannot have too

much of Pleasure, but those which can of the former can also of

the latter. Now the bodily Pleasures do admit of excess: in fact

the low bad man is such because he pursues the excess of them

instead of those which are necessary (meat, drink, and the

objects of other animal appetites do give pleasure to all, but

not in right manner or degree to all). But his relation to Pain

is exactly the contrary: it is not excessive Pain, but Pain at

all, that he avoids [which makes him to be in this way too a bad

low man], because only in the case of him who pursues excessive

Pleasure is Pain contrary to excessive Pleasure.