4P Li gç(' TRANSACTIONS

VOL. 47, PT. 5, 19571 ORESME'S VERSION AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION 813
C. c:'t assavoir, selan vertu en amisté de manage,
laquelle comprent tautes les causes et especes de aitiisté,
Si coinme it appert par le .xvii. chapitre de le.viii.
d'Etltiqucs. Car elle a en soi bien utile et bien delectable
et bien de vertu et double delectation; cc est assavoir,
charnele et vertueuse ou sensitive et intellective. Item,
ceste amisté est singuliere, car dIe est entre un seul et tine
settle, Si coninie (lit est. Et appert par les raisons qui
furent touchies ou .xvii.° chapitre de le.viii. d'Ethiques.
Et se aucuns out cues pluseurs feinnies, cc estoit paur oportunité
de multiplication de lignie ou par dispensation divine
on hors droit convenable a nature humaine. Item, ceste
atitisté est pernianente et estahie et sans departe- // (332a)
nient, si coinme it appert par le. xxxvi, chapitre du Mi."
de I'olitiques. Et est jauxte cc que dit l'Escripture Quos
Dens conjUnxit, lioiiio ' non separet. Item, dIe est tres
grande, Si conime denote l'Escripture on livre des Rays, en
disant qe Jonathas cstoit plus amiable que femnie Amabilis
super amorem niulierum. Et Ic Sage (lit ainsi : Species
mulienis exhilarat faciem viri sui. lt super omnem
cuncupiscenciam Iioniinis superducet desidenium ( Ecclesiastici
,xxxvi.°) Item, (IC lamour prece(lente dunt est
parlé devant (lit que Jacob servi .vii. ans pour l'aiiiour de
Rachel et mi sembloit Ic temps brief pour laniour qui estoit
grande. lit scIon l'Lscripture, pour CC lessera un
honime pere et mere et se aherdra a sa feninie. Car
l'Apostle comniande que chescun aime sa femme comnie soy
meisnie. Item, encor appert parcc que nature mist delectation
de couple charnel es bestes tant settlement pour cause
et a6n (le generation ; nies cile mist es gcns tele delectation
pour la cause desus dicte et pour acrestre et continuer et
garder aniisté entre honinie et femme. Et de cc est signe
cc quc dit Plinius : (tue nulle femelle depuis que elle a conceu
et est prenante tie appete tel couple charnel fors tant
senlement fennite. Item, la plus grande unite est cause de
plus grande amisté. lit pour cc fit ou quart chapitre
du secunt de Politiqucs que .ii. ainis desirent estre UflC
chose. Or peut Yen dire que le niari et la feninie sunt plus
pres de utiitC clue niasle et fenielle en autre espece pource
que Ia premiere feninie fu forniee de la caste de son man
et lie fit ainsi de autres bestes. Et pour cc (lit l'Escripture
que les manes sunt .ii. en unc char. Or avons
donques comment ceste communication est amiable. Apres
it met comment dIe est profictable.
T. Item, Ia nature des fllz ne est pas / (332b) seulement
pour cc l'anunistrenicnt de nature.
G. Si comme es bestes asquelles nature iiiinistre lignie
seulement pour continuation des especes.
T. Mes ovecques cc, cile est pour cause de unite ou
de profit. Car cc que les parens qtiant ii estoient puissans
ont fait on firent a leur enfans quant ii estoient
impotens, ii reportent dc cc et reçoivent de rechief le
profit en leur vicliece qitant it sunt I aiz impotens.
C. Car si comme it peut apparoir par Ic .xxiiii.° chapitre
(lU .vii. d'Etliiques, Ics enfans communelnient ant mestier
de leur parens tant pour nournissement comme pour doetrine
siques an temps ou pres que les parens ant mestier de
laide de leur enfans pour cause de fieblece Ct de impotence.
lit ces aides oil des parens as enfans et des enifans as
parens ne pevent bonnement estre fais se les parens ne sunt
ensemble par manage ou out esté. Et donques ceste corn-
C. That is, virtuously as in married friendship, which
includes all the causes and kinds of friendship as stated in
Ethics VIII, 17. For this friendship comprises at once the
goad of usefulness, the good of pleasure, and the good of
virtue and double enjoyment—that is, both the carnal and
the virtuous or the sensual and the intellectual pleasures.
This friendship exists between two individuals only; for it
concerns but one man and one woman as we have said and
this is clear from the reasons indicated in Ethics VIII, 17.
And if sonic men have had several wives, this was to provide
an increase in progeny or by divine dispensation or
against the natural law applicable to human beings. This
friendship is, moreover, permanent and stable and is not to
he broken. // (332a) as pointed out in Politics VII, 14
11335b 39 if.]. It accords with the injunction of Scripture;
"\\lioni God hath joined together let no man put
asunder" [Matt. 19: 6 1. Such a friendship is extremely
great, as the Scripture notes in the Book of Kings, where
it says that Jonathan was more lovable than women
Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of
woitien'' III Sam. 1: 261. And Solomon states it thus:
The beauty of woman brightens the countenance of tier
husband and excels every delight of the eye." Ecciesiasticus
XX XVI [24]. It is said of this love of which we are
now speaking that Jacob served seven years for the love of
Rachel and the time seemed short because of the greatness
of his love [Gen. 29: 181. And the Scripture states that
a man willleave his father and mother for this hove of
woman and will cleave to his wife [Gen. 2: 26]. And the
Apostle Paul commands that each man love his wife as
himself lEph. 5: 28]. This is also clear from the fact that
nature granted carnal pleasures to the animals only for the
purpose of reproduction: but it accorded the human species
this pleasure not only for reproduction of its kind but also
to enhance and maintain friendship between man and
womitati. This is implied iii Pliny's statement that no female,
after she has become pregnant, seeks sexual union,
except woman only [Nat. hist. VII, 5]. And this greater
unity is a cause of greater friendship. This explains the
statement in Politics II, 1 112621) 12 if.], that two friends
desire to become a single being. Thus we may say that
husband and wife are more nearly a unit than the male and
female of other species because the first woman was fortiied
front rib of lien husband and this was not the case with
the other animals. For this reason, Scripture says that a
married couple is two persons in a single skill 2: 24].
Thus we may now perceive how this life of husband and
wife together is based uputi friendship. Next lie points
out in what respect it is profitable.
T. But it is not natural that children should exist
(332b) merely to pay man's debt to nature.
C. As is the case with :iniiti:tIs, to which nature affords
progeny only for the maintenance of the species.
T. But in addition, children exist for the sake of
unity or profit. For what the parents, while they had
their strength, have clone for their offspring while the
latter were unable to help themselves, this they are repaid
and profit by in their old age, when they have be-
conic old and feeble.
C. Because, as max' he seen in Politics VII, 14 [1335a
2] , children usually need their parents for both sustenance
and instruction up to the time approximately when the
parents need the children's help because of weakness and
infirmity. And this assistance or profit given by parents
to their offspring and by these latter to their parents cannot
be accomplished unless the parents are living in wedlock
or have been so living. Thus this manner of living