Authors/Aristotle/metaphysics/l5/c16

Chapter 16 Complete

Latin	English
Perfectum vero dicitur unum quidem cuius non est extra aliquid accipere nullam particulam, ut tempus perfectum uniuscuiusque hoc extra quod non est accipere tempus aliquod ↵ quod sit huius temporis pars. Et quod * secundum virtutem et quod eius quod bene non habens excedentiam ad genus, ut perfectus medicus et perfectus fistulator quando secundum speciem proprie virtutis in nullo deficiunt. Sic autem transferentes et ad mala dicimus calumpniatorem perfectum et latronem ↵ perfectum, quoniam et bonos dicimus ipsos, ut latronem bonum et calumpniatorem bonum. * et virtus perfectio quaedam; unumquodque enim tunc perfectum et substantia omnis tunc perfecta, quando secundum speciem proprie virtutis * nulla defecerit pars * eius quae secundum naturam magnitudinis.	Chapter 16. What is called complete is (1) that outside which it is not possible to find any, even one, of its parts; e.g. the complete time of each thing is that outside which it is not possible to find any time which is a part proper to it. (2) That which in respect of excellence and goodness cannot be excelled in its kind; e.g. we have a complete doctor or a complete flute-player, when they lack nothing in respect of the form of their proper excellence. And thus, transferring the word to bad things, we speak of a complete scandal-monger and a complete thief; indeed we even call them good, i.e. a good thief and a good scandal-monger. And excellence is a completion; for each thing is complete and every substance is complete, when in respect of the form of its proper excellence it lacks no part of its natural magnitude.
Amplius quibus inest finis studiosus, haec dicuntur perfecta; ↵ secundum habere enim finem perfecta. Quare quoniam finis ultimorum aliquid est, et ad praua transferentes dicimus perfecte perditum esse et perfecte corruptum esse, quando nil deest corruptionis et mali sed in ultimo est. Quapropter et mors secundum methaphoram dicitur finis, quia ambo ultima. ↵ Finis autem et cuius causa ultimum.	(3) The things which have attained their end, this being good, are called complete; for things are complete in virtue of having attained their end. Therefore, since the end is something ultimate, we transfer the word to bad things and say a thing has been completely spoilt, and completely destroyed, when it in no wise falls short of destruction and badness, but is at its last point. This is why death, too, is by a figure of speech called the end, because both are last things. But the ultimate purpose is also an end.
ƿ Secundum se dicta quidem igitur perfecta totiens dicuntur, alia quidem quia secundum bene in nullo deficiunt nec yperbolem habent nec extra aliquid accipitur, alia omnino secundum quod non habent yperbolem in unoquoque genere nec aliquid ↵ est extra.	Things, then, that are called complete in virtue of their own nature are so called in all these senses, some because in respect of goodness they lack nothing and cannot be excelled and no part proper to them can be found outside them, others in general because they cannot be exceeded in their several classes and no part proper to them is out[22a]side them;
Alia vero iam * secundum ipsa aut in faciendo aliquid tale aut habendo aut congruendo tali aut in aliter qualiter dici ad primo dicta perfecta.	the others presuppose these first two kinds, and are called complete because they either make or have something of the sort or are adapted to it or in some way or other involve a reference to the things that are called complete in the primary sense.