Pagina 208 de 734

In fact, without need of words, the Great-minded plainly have

honour for their object-matter: since honour is what the great

consider themselves specially worthy of, and according to a

certain rate.

The Small-minded man is deficient, both as regards himself, and

also as regards the estimation of the Great-minded: while the

Vain man is in excess as regards himself, but does not get beyond

the Great-minded man. Now the Great-minded man, being by the

hypothesis worthy of the greatest things, must be of the highest

excellence, since the better a man is the more is he worth, and

he who is best is worth the most: it follows then, that to be

truly Great-minded a man must be good, and whatever is great in

each virtue would seem to belong to the Great-minded. It would no

way correspond with the character of the Great-minded to flee

spreading his hands all abroad; nor to injure any one; for with

what object in view will he do what is base, in whose eyes

nothing is great?