[3,120] καὶ προνοεῖ γε οὐ μόνον ὅπως μετέχωσι τῆς λεγομένης εὐδαιμονίας, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον ὅπως ἄξιοι δοκῶσι κοινωνεῖν τῆς ἀρχῆς, καὶ τοῦτο ἐσπούδακεν ἐξ ἅπαντος ὅπως μὴ διὰ τὴν συγγένειαν αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν φαίνηται προτιμῶν. καὶ τοὺς μὲν ζῶντας μάλιστα πάντων ἀγαπᾷ καὶ φίλους ἀναγκαίους νενόμικεν. (121) τοὺς μὲν γὰρ φίλους ἔστι διαλύσασθαι δυσχέρειάν τινα ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐνιδόντα· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς συγγενεῖς οὐχ οἷόν τε διαλύσασθαι τὴν συγγένειαν, ἀλλ´ ὁποῖοί ποτ´ ἂν ὦσιν, ἀνάγκη τοῦτο ἀκούειν τὸ ὄνομα. (122) γυναῖκα δὲ οὐ κοίτης μόνον ἢ ἀφροδισίων κοινωνὸν νενόμικεν, βουλῆς δὲ καὶ ἔργων καὶ τοῦ ξύμπαντος βίου συνεργόν. (123) μόνος δὲ τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν οὐχ ἡδυπάθειαν νενόμικε, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον καλοκἀγαθίαν, τὴν δὲ ἀρετὴν οὐκ ἀνάγκην, ἀλλὰ βούλησιν, τὴν δὲ καρτερίαν οὐ ταλαιπωρίαν, ἀλλ´ ἀσφάλειαν, καὶ τὰς μὲν ἡδονὰς αὔξει τοῖς πόνοις καὶ μείζους διὰ τοῦτο καρποῦται, (124) τοὺς δὲ πόνους ἐπελαφρύνει τῷ ἔθει. ταὐτὰ δὲ ἡγεῖται συμφέροντα καὶ ἡδέα· ὁρᾷ γὰρ τοὺς μὲν ἰδιώτας, εἰ μέλλουσιν ὑγιαίνειν καὶ παραμένειν εἰς γῆρας, οὔποτε ἀργῷ καὶ ἀπόνῳ τῷ σώματι τροφὴν προσφέροντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν τέχνας ἐργαζομένους, ἐνίας αὐτῶν καὶ πολὺν ἐχούσας τὸν κάματον, τοὺς μὲν χαλκέας, τοὺς δὲ ναυπηγούς, τοὺς δὲ οἰκοδόμους·

[3,120] and sees to it that they shall not only have a share of what is called the king's felicity, but much more that they shall be thought worthy to be partners in his authority; and he is especially anxious to be seen preferring them in honour, not because of their kinship, but because of their qualifications. And those kinsmen who live honourable lives he loves beyond all others, but those who do not so live he considers, not friends, but relatives. For other friends he may cast off when he has discovered something objectionable in them, but in the case of his kinsmen, he cannot dissolve the tie ; but whatever their character, he must allow the title to be used. His wife, moreover, he regards not merely as the partner of his bed and affections, but also as his helpmate in his counsel and action, and indeed in his whole life. (123) He alone holds that happiness consists, not in flowery ease, but much rather in excellence of character ; virtue, not in necessity but in free-will ; while patient endurance, he holds, does not mean hardship but safety. His pleasures he increases by toil, and thereby gets more enjoyment out of them, while habit lightens his toil. To him " useful " and " pleasurable " are interchangeable terms ; for he sees that plain citizens, if they are to keep well and reach old age, never give nourishment to an idle and inactive body, but that a part of them work first at trades, some of which—such as smith- ing, shipbuilding, the construction of houses—are very laborious ;