Book 4
21
The paltry man on the other hand will err on the side of deficiency in everything; even when he is spending a great deal, he will spoil the effect for a trifle, and by hesitating at every stage and considering how he can spend least, and even so grudging what he spends and always thinking he is doing things on a greater scale than is necessary.
22
These dispositions then are vices, but they do not bring serious discredit, since they are not injurious to others, nor are they excessively unseemly.
1
Greatness of Soul,μεγαλοψυχία, magnanimitas, means lofty pride and self-esteem rather than magnanimity or high-mindedness (in the modern sense of the word). as the word itself implies, seems to be related to great objects; let us first ascertain what sort of objects these are.
2
It will make no difference whether we examine the quality itself or the person that displays the quality.
3
Now a person is thought to be great-souled if he claims much and deserves much; he who claims much without deserving it is foolish, but no one of moral excellence is foolish or senseless. The great-souled man is then as we have described.
4
He who deserves little and claims little is modest or temperate, but not great-souled,
5
since to be great-souled involves greatness just as handsomeness involves size: small people may be neat and well-made, but not handsome.
6
He that claims much but does not deserve much is vain; though not everybody who claims more than he deserves is vain.The term χαῦνος does not apply to a man who deserves much but claims even more, nor to one who claims little but deserves even less.
7
He that claims less than he deserves is small-souled, whether his deserts be great or only moderate, or even though he deserves little, if he claims still less. The most small-souled of all would seem to be the man who claims less than he deserves when his deserts are great; for what would he have done had he not deserved so much?
