Book 3
1
And also the nature of Gentleness and Harshness must be ascertained in the same way. For we see that the term gentle is concerned with the pain that arises from passion—a man is gentle by being disposed in a certain way towards that pain. And in our diagramSee Aristot. Eud. Eth. 1220b 38, Aristot. Eud. Eth. 1221b 12-15. we opposed to the irascible and harsh and fierce man (for all such traits belong to the same disposition) the slavish and spiritlessThe Mss. give slavish and senseless. man;
2
for these are perhaps the most usual words to denote those whose passion is not aroused even at all the things at which it ought to be, but who undergo insulting treatment readily and meet slights with humility; since as opposed to feeling the pain that we call passion quickly, extremely or for a long time there is feeling it slowly, slightly, or for a short time.
3
And since, as we said in the other cases, so here also there is excess and deficiency (for the harsh man is the sort of man that feels this emotion too quickly, too long, at the wrong time, with the wrong kind of people, and with many people,while the slavish man is the opposite), it is clear that there is also some body who is at the middle point in the inequality.i.e. half-way between excess and defect.
