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μείζονι] agrees with τινί understood after ἀρετή: the accusative μείζονα, with τινά understood in τὸ ὑπερέχειν, would be more usual. Two MSS read μείζονα. ‘Excellence in size’ implies superiority over the average (people in general), in length (height), depth (thickness), and breadth, but only (superior) to such an extent as not to impede the motions (of the body) by the excess (of size), lit. to one being only so much greater as not to make the body's motions (slower than they otherwise would be, or than they ought to be, i.e.) too slow. Μῆκος, βάθος, and πλάτος are the three dimensions of space; but it is not quite certain how they are applied here to the proportions of the human body; μῆκος or βάθος might possibly represent the abstract height. I have taken μῆκος in this sense here because it is found in Homer to represent the ‘stature’ of a man, and μάκιστος for ‘tallest’. Odys. λ́. 309, Otus and Ephialtes, οὓς δὴ μακίστους θρέψε ζείδωρος ἄρουρα, and 312, ἀτὰρ μῆκός γε γενέσθην ἐννεόργυιοι. ύ. 71, of the daughters of Pandareus, μῆκος δ᾽ ἔποῤ Ἄρτεμις ἁγνή, and in Xenoph. de Rep. Lac. II 5, εἰς μῆκος αὐξάνεσθαι τὰ σώματα. Μῆκος therefore is the man's height, πλάτος the breadth of the body, measuring from right to left, and βάθος the depth or thickness, measuring in the direction backwards and forwards. Βάθος, though it can be applied to vertical measure, up and down, yet as in the ordinary language it represents only what is below us, and not what is above, could hardly be applied to the more than average stature of a tall man.

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