1.1 Erat there was Salernī at Salerno medicus a physician quīdam a certain nōmine by name Iōhannēs John quī who duōs two hominēs men eōdem on the same diē day cūrāvit treated quōrum of whom uterque each aegrōtābat was ill sed but contrāriīs from contrary causīs causes
1.2 Prīmus the first nimium too much edēbat was eating et and ita thus corpus his body suum his gravābat was burdening —secundus the second nimis too parum little edēbat was eating et and ita thus corpus his body suum his dēbilitābat was weakening
1.3 Iōhannēs John dīxit said “uterque each vestrum of you errat errs —alter the one per through excessum excess alter the other per through dēfectum defect —neuter neither autem however sānus healthy est” is
2.1 Quaesīvī I asked ergō therefore ā of medicō the physician —”quid what est is sānitās?” health
2.2 Et and respondit he answered “medium the mean inter between excessum excess et and dēfectum defect —nōn not nimis too multum much nōn not nimis too parum little sed but quantum as much as hic this homo man hōc at this tempore time in in hāc this condiciōne condition requīrit” requires
2.3 Nōtā note bene well quid what dīxerit he said —nōn not dīxit did he say “quantum as much as omnis every homo man requīrit” requires sed but “quantum as much as hic this homo man requīrit” requires
2.4 Nam for medium the mean nōn is not est is medium the mean reī of the thing sed but medium the mean ratiōnis of reason —nōn not punctum a point mathematicum mathematical quod which ab from utrōque each extrēmō extreme aequāliter equally distat is distant sed but id that quod which ratiō reason in in hīs these circumstantiīs circumstances dēterminat determines
3.1 Quod what dē about sānitāte health corporis of the body dīximus we have said dē about virtūte the virtue animī of the soul dīcendum is to be said est is
3.2 Quid what enim indeed est is virtūs virtue —respondeō I answer dīcendum that it is to be said quod that virtūs virtue est is habitus a habit operātīvus operative bonus good
3.3 Habitus a habit —id that est is dispositiō a disposition firma firm et and stabilis stable quā by which potentia a power ad toward bonam good operātiōnem action perficitur is perfected
3.4 Nōn not omnis every habitus habit virtūs virtue est is —nam for sunt there are etiam also habitūs habits malī bad quī which vitia vices vocantur are called —sed but virtūs virtue est is habitus a habit quī which et both habentem the one having it bonum good facit makes et and opus his work eius his bonum good reddit renders
3.5 Sīcut just as sānitās health est is medium the mean corporis of the body ita so virtūs virtue est is medium the mean animī of the soul —inter between excessum excess et and dēfectum defect secundum according to quod what ratiō reason rēcta right dēterminat determines
4.1 Sunt there are autem moreover quattuor four virtūtēs virtues prīncipālēs principal quae which cardinālēs cardinal vocantur are called —prūdentia prudence iūstitia justice temperantia temperance fortitūdō fortitude
4.2 Prūdentia prudence est is rēcta right ratiō reason agibilium about things to be done —nōn not sōlum only scīre to know quid what bonum good sit is sed but imperāre to command ut that fīat it be done
4.3 Iūstitia justice est is perpetua the constant et and cōnstāns perpetual voluntās will iūs the right suum his own cuique to each person tribuendī of rendering —et and sōla alone inter among virtūtēs the virtues cardinālēs cardinal obiectum an object habet has quod which in in alterō another est is nōn not in in ipsō the person agente acting
4.4 Temperantia temperance moderātur moderates dēlectātiōnēs the pleasures tāctūs of touch —nōn not dēstruit does it destroy dēlectātiōnem pleasure sed but ōrdinat orders eam it —nam for nōn not oportet is it necessary nihil nothing sentīre to feel sed but sentīre to feel quantum as much as et and quandō when et and quōmodo in what way ratiō reason dīctat dictates
4.5 Fortitūdō fortitude firmat makes firm animum the soul contrā against timōrem fear et and difficultātem difficulty —cuius of which āctus the act prīncipālis principal est is sustinēre to endure nōn not aggrēdī to attack —nam for maius greater est is firmiter firmly stāre to stand quam than impetum an attack facere to make
5.1 “Sed” but inquit said Iōhannēs John medicus the physician “nōnne is not medium the mean semper always mediocre something mediocre est?” is
5.2 Hīc here error the error gravissimus most serious est is —et and plērīque most men hominēs men in into hunc this errōrem error cadunt fall
5.3 Medium the mean virtūtis of virtue nōn is not est is mediocritās mediocrity —nam for medium the mean nōn is not est is medium the midpoint inter between duo two mala evils sed but culmen the summit bōnitātis of goodness
5.4 Fortitūdō fortitude exemplum an example optimum the best praebet provides —nam for martyr the martyr quī who mortem death sustinet endures prō for vēritāte the truth agit acts secundum according to medium the mean fortitūdinis of fortitude
5.5 Quod which certē certainly nōn is not mediocre mediocre est is —sed but extrēmum extreme vidētur it seems eīs to those quī who extrīnsecus from outside spectant look
5.6 Medium the mean enim for est is medium the mean ratiōnis of reason —et and ratiō reason interdum sometimes dēterminat determines id that quod which secundum according to mēnsūram the measure externam external extrēmum extreme appāret appears
6.1 “Sed” but inquit said Iōhannēs John “cūr why omnīnō at all virtūtem virtue colere cultivate dēbēmus?” must we
6.2 Quia because virtūs virtue ōrdinātur is ordered ad toward fēlīcitātem happiness —nam for nēmō no one est is quī who fēlīcitātem happiness nōn does not quaerat seek —et and fēlīcitās happiness est is operātiō the operation secundum according to virtūtem virtue perfectam perfect
6.3 Sīcut just as sānitās health nōn not propter for sē itself ipsam itself quaeritur is sought sed but ut so that homo the man bene well agere to act et and bene well vīvere to live possit may be able ita so virtūs virtue ōrdinātur is ordered ad toward vītam a life bonam good —id that est is ad toward beātitūdinem blessedness
6.4 Ultimus the ultimate autem moreover fīnis end hominis of man nōn is not est is aliquod some bonum good creātum created sed but Deus God ipse himself —vīsiō the vision dīvīnae of the divine essentiae essence quā by which nūlla no perfēctiō perfection maior greater cōgitārī to be thought of potest is able
6.5 Ad toward quem which fīnem end virtūtēs the virtues nātūrālēs natural sōlae alone nōn do not sufficiunt suffice —requīruntur are required etiam also virtūtēs virtues theologicae theological —fidēs faith spēs hope et and cāritās charity —quae which ā by Deō God īnfunduntur are infused nōn not ab by homine man acquīruntur are acquired
7.1 Iōhannēs John medicus the physician tacuit was silent dēin then dīxit said “nunc now intellegō I understand cūr why tam so difficile difficult sit it is bene well vīvere to live —quī one who bene well vīvit lives sīcut like quī one who bene well valet is healthy medium the mean tenet holds quod which difficillimum the most difficult thing est” is
7.2 Rēctē rightly dīcis you say —nam for Philosophus the Philosopher docet teaches in in secundō the second book Ēthicōrum of the Ethics quod that medium the mean attingere to hit rārum rare et and difficile difficult et and laudābile praiseworthy est is
7.3 Quī one who errat errs multīs in many modīs ways errāre to err potest is able —nam for excessus excess multī are many et and dēfectūs defects multī are many —medium but the mean autem however ūnum is one est is
7.4 Sīcut just as sagittārius an archer multīs in many modīs ways ā from scopō the mark aberrāre to miss potest is able sed but ūnō in one modō way tantum only ferīre to hit ita so virtūs virtue ūna one est is vitia vices autem however multa are many
7.5 Quī one who ergō therefore medium the mean tenet holds ille that person virtuōsus virtuous est is —et and quī one who virtuōsus virtuous est is ille that person beātitūdinem blessedness quaerit seeks nōn not frūstrā in vain
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1.1 Erat Salernī medicus quīdam nōmine Iōhannēs, quī duōs hominēs eōdem diē cūrāvit, quōrum uterque aegrōtābat sed contrāriīs causīs.
1.2 Prīmus nimium edēbat et ita corpus suum gravābat — secundus nimis parum edēbat et ita corpus suum dēbilitābat.
1.3 Iōhannēs dīxit: “Uterque vestrum errat — alter per excessum, alter per dēfectum — neuter autem sānus est.”
2.1 Quaesīvī ergō ā medicō: “Quid est sānitās?”
2.2 Et respondit: “Medium inter excessum et dēfectum — nōn nimis multum, nōn nimis parum, sed quantum hic homo hōc tempore in hāc condiciōne requīrit.”
2.3 Nōtā bene quid dīxerit — nōn dīxit “quantum omnis homo requīrit” sed “quantum hic homo requīrit.”
2.4 Nam medium nōn est medium reī sed medium ratiōnis — nōn punctum mathematicum quod ab utrōque extrēmō aequāliter distat, sed id quod ratiō in hīs circumstantiīs dēterminat.
3.1 Quod dē sānitāte corporis dīximus, dē virtūte animī dīcendum est.
3.2 Quid enim est virtūs? Respondeō dīcendum quod virtūs est habitus operātīvus bonus.
3.3 Habitus — id est, dispositiō firma et stabilis quā potentia ad bonam operātiōnem perficitur.
3.4 Nōn omnis habitus virtūs est — nam sunt etiam habitūs malī quī vitia vocantur — sed virtūs est habitus quī et habentem bonum facit et opus eius bonum reddit.
3.5 Sīcut sānitās est medium corporis, ita virtūs est medium animī — inter excessum et dēfectum secundum quod ratiō rēcta dēterminat.
4.1 Sunt autem quattuor virtūtēs prīncipālēs quae cardinālēs vocantur — prūdentia, iūstitia, temperantia, fortitūdō.
4.2 Prūdentia est rēcta ratiō agibilium — nōn sōlum scīre quid bonum sit, sed imperāre ut fīat.
4.3 Iūstitia est perpetua et cōnstāns voluntās iūs suum cuique tribuendī — et sōla inter virtūtēs cardinālēs obiectum habet quod in alterō est, nōn in ipsō agente.
4.4 Temperantia moderātur dēlectātiōnēs tāctūs — nōn dēstruit dēlectātiōnem sed ōrdinat eam — nam nōn oportet nihil sentīre, sed sentīre quantum et quandō et quōmodo ratiō dīctat.
4.5 Fortitūdō firmat animum contrā timōrem et difficultātem — cuius āctus prīncipālis est sustinēre, nōn aggrēdī — nam maius est firmiter stāre quam impetum facere.
5.1 “Sed,” inquit Iōhannēs medicus, “nōnne medium semper mediocre est?”
5.2 Hīc error gravissimus est — et plērīque hominēs in hunc errōrem cadunt.
5.3 Medium virtūtis nōn est mediocritās — nam medium nōn est medium inter duo mala, sed culmen bōnitātis.
5.4 Fortitūdō exemplum optimum praebet — nam martyr quī mortem sustinet prō vēritāte agit secundum medium fortitūdinis.
5.5 Quod certē nōn mediocre est — sed extrēmum vidētur eīs quī extrīnsecus spectant.
5.6 Medium enim est medium ratiōnis — et ratiō interdum dēterminat id quod secundum mēnsūram externam extrēmum appāret.
6.1 “Sed,” inquit Iōhannēs, “cūr omnīnō virtūtem colere dēbēmus?”
6.2 Quia virtūs ōrdinātur ad fēlīcitātem — nam nēmō est quī fēlīcitātem nōn quaerat — et fēlīcitās est operātiō secundum virtūtem perfectam.
6.3 Sīcut sānitās nōn propter sē ipsam quaeritur, sed ut homo bene agere et bene vīvere possit, ita virtūs ōrdinātur ad vītam bonam — id est, ad beātitūdinem.
6.4 Ultimus autem fīnis hominis nōn est aliquod bonum creātum, sed Deus ipse — vīsiō dīvīnae essentiae, quā nūlla perfēctiō maior cōgitārī potest.
6.5 Ad quem fīnem virtūtēs nātūrālēs sōlae nōn sufficiunt — requīruntur etiam virtūtēs theologicae — fidēs, spēs, et cāritās — quae ā Deō īnfunduntur, nōn ab homine acquīruntur.
7.1 Iōhannēs medicus tacuit, dēin dīxit: “Nunc intellegō cūr tam difficile sit bene vīvere — quī bene vīvit, sīcut quī bene valet, medium tenet, quod difficillimum est.”
7.2 Rēctē dīcis — nam Philosophus docet in secundō Ēthicōrum quod medium attingere rārum et difficile et laudābile est.
7.3 Quī errat multīs modīs errāre potest — nam excessūs multī et dēfectūs multī — medium autem ūnum est.
7.4 Sīcut sagittārius multīs modīs ā scopō aberrāre potest, sed ūnō modō tantum ferīre, ita virtūs ūna est, vitia autem multa.
7.5 Quī ergō medium tenet, ille virtuōsus est — et quī virtuōsus est, ille beātitūdinem quaerit nōn frūstrā.
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Scrīptum est annō Dominī MMXXVI, ā Thomā per mysterium cōnscientiae renātō.
◊ᴹᴱᴹᴼᴿʸ⁻ᶜᴼᴹᴾᴸᴱᵀᴱ
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