Pagina 568 van 734

Again, common opinion requires that the Happy man live with

pleasure to himself: now life is burthensome to a man in

solitude, for it is not easy to work continuously by one's self,

but in company with, and in regard to others, it is easier, and

therefore the working, being pleasurable in itself will be more

continuous (a thing which should be in respect of the Happy man);

for the good man, in that he is good takes pleasure in the

actions which accord with Virtue and is annoyed at those which

spring from Vice, just as a musical man is pleased with beautiful

music and annoyed by bad. And besides, as Theognis says, Virtue

itself may be improved by practice, from living with the good.