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12.
As then lovers find their greatest delight in seeing those they love, and prefer the
gratification of the sense of sight to that of all the other senses, that sense being the
chief seat and source of love, so likewise for friends (may we not say?)
the society of each other is the most desirable thing there is. For (i)
friendship is essentially a partnership. And (ii) a man stands in the
same relation to a friend as to himself1; but the consciousness of his own existence is a good; so also therefore is
the consciousness of his friend's existence; but this2 consciousness is actualized
in intercourse; hence friends naturally desire each other's society.
[2]
And (iii) whatever pursuit it is that
constitutes existence for a man or that makes his life worth living, he desires to share
that pursuit with his friends. Hence some friends drink or dice together, others practise
athletic sports and hunt, or study philosophy, in each other's company; each sort spending
their time together in the occupation that they love best of everything in life; for
wishing to live in their friends’ society, they pursue and take part with them
in these occupations as best they can.3
[3]
Thus the friendship of inferior people is evil, for they take part together in inferior
pursuits [being unstable,]4 and by becoming
like each other are made positively evil. But the friendship of the good is good, and
grows with their intercourse. And they seem actually to become better by putting their
friendship into practice,5 and because they correct each
other's faults, for each takes the impress from the other of those traits in him that give
him pleasure—whence the saying: "Noble deeds from noble men."6
So much for our treatment of Friendship. Our next business will be to discuss
Pleasure.
1 See chap. 4 and 9.5.
2 Or possibly, ‘and friendship is realized in intercourse,’ a separate reason for the thesis of the first sentence.
3 The text is doubtful; most MSS. give, ‘by which they think they live in their society.’
4 It seems best to excise these words as an inapposite reminiscence of 4.10.
5 For ἐνεργεῖν (sc. φιλικῶς) = συζῆν cf. 8.5.1.
6 Cf. 9.7.