Pagina 402 van 734

And so they are blamed, whosoever in spite of Reason are mastered

by, that is pursue, any object, though in its nature noble and

good; they, for instance, who are more earnest than they should

be respecting honour, or their children or parents; not but what

these are good objects and men are praised for being earnest

about them: but still they admit of excess; for instance, if any

one, as Niobe did, should fight even against the gods, or feel

towards his father as Satyrus, who got therefrom the nickname of

φιλοπάτωρ, because he was thought to be very foolish.

Now depravity there is none in regard of these things, for the

reason assigned above, that each of them in itself is a thing

naturally choice-worthy, yet the excesses in respect of them are

wrong and matter for blame: and similarly there is no Imperfect

Self-Control in respect of these things; that being not merely a

thing that should be avoided but blameworthy.