Book 2
14
There are also modes of observing a mean in the sphere of and in relation to the emotions. ForThis sentence in the mss. follows the next one. in these also one man is spoken of as moderate and another as excessive—for example the bashful man whose modesty takes alarm at everything; while he that is deficient in shame, or abashed at nothing whatsoever, is shameless, and the man of middle character modest. For though Modesty is not a virtue, it is praised, and so is the modest man.
15
Again, Righteous Indignation is the observance of a mean between Envy and Malice,See 6.18 (and note): there envy and rejoicing-in-evil come in a list of emotions in which a due mean is impossible; and in Aristot. Rh. 1386b 34 they are said to be two sides of the same character. The present attempt to force them into the scheme as opposite extremes is not very successful, and it is noteworthy that this group of qualities is omitted in Bk. 4. and these qualities are concerned with pain and pleasure felt at the fortunes of one’s neighbors. The righteously indignant man is pained by undeserved good fortune; the jealous man exceeds him and is pained by all the good fortune of others;It is difficult not to think that some words have been lost here, such as and the righteously indignant man is pained by the undeserved misfortune of others. while the malicious man so far falls short of being pained that he actually feels pleasure.
