fatal

Ready-wittedness: Ready-wittedness is a
mean between boorishness and buffoonery. A character
is ready-witted who jokes tastefully. Readywitted
characters are socially flexible with discourse.
Ready-witted characters are tactful, so they speak
of, and listen to, such things as appropriate for a
moral and well-bred character. The jest of a readywitted
character differs from a vulgar character, just
as the jest of an educated character differs from that
of an uneducated character. A ready-witted character
can make, listen to, and tolerate the same kinds
of jokes. Therefore, there are jokes that a readywitted
character will not make, listen to, or tolerate.
In some cases, jokes can be abusive.
Friendliness: Friendliness is a mean between
quarrelsomeness and surliness, and obsequiousness
or flattery. A character with friendliness
will tolerate and resent the right things in the right
way. If passion or affection is included, then this
character is a good friend. However, this moral does
not include passion or affection, so it is termed
friendliness, not friendship. A character with friendliness
behaves the same toward acquaintances and
strangers, toward intimates and non-intimates, except
that in each case a character with friendliness
behaves appropriately. Wherever it is dishonorable
or harmful to contribute pleasure, a character with
friendliness refuses. Wherever it is appropriate to
give pain, a character with friendliness refuses to give
pleasure. For the sake of a great future pleasure,
too, a character with friendliness inflicts small pains.
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Modesty: Modesty is a mean between
shamefulness and bashfulness. A character is modest
who lacks fear of dishonor and does not blush.
Older characters are more likely to have modesty,
because younger characters are more prone to feeling
shame and are more affected by emotions. Characters
who are more affected by emotions commit
more errors of reasoning and are more restrained
by shame. Older characters are not praiseworthy
who are prone to a sense of disgrace, since they are
considered to have enough experience not to do
anything to cause disgrace by their age. Both shame
and bashfulness are related to bodily conditions,
which are more related to emotion than reason.
Righteous Indignation: Righteous indignation
is a mean between spite and envy. A character
is righteously indignant who is distressed at the
evidence of unworthy success of another. Generally,
characters who are prone to righteous indignation
consider themselves deserving of things they
do not believe others deserve. Therefore, characters
are not righteously indignant who are servile,
worthless, or unambitious, because they do not consider
themselves worthy of anything. Righteous indignation
is an emotion characteristic of a moral
character.
Unnamed Balance of Ambitiousness:
The unnamed balance is a mean between
unambitiousness and ambitiousness. A character has
the unnamed balance of ambitiousness if honor is
sought, but not on a grand scale.
IDEM.VELLE.ATQUE.IDEM.NOLLE.
EA.DEMUM.FIRMA.AMICITIA.EST
Liking the same things and disliking the same things,
that is true friendship.
Chapter 4: Disposition