Liber I, Pars III — Quot sunt passiones animae, et quomodo acicpiendus est earum numerus. Cap. I.

Liber I, Pars III — Quot sunt passiones animae, et quomodo acicpiendus est earum numerus. Cap. I.

It is necessary to address two parts of this work, since it has been shown where kings and princes should set their goals and how they ought to be virtuous. Now, we must proceed to the third part of this first book, showing which passions and which movements of the soul kings and princes should imitate. But since this cannot be known unless we first understand how many such passions there are, which of them are more principal, which are commendable, and which are blameworthy, we will first discuss these. Considering the number of passions, as we said there are twelve virtues, we can also say that there are twelve passions. These are: love, hatred, desire, aversion, delight, sadness, hope, despair, fear, boldness, anger, and gentleness. Gentleness is indeed compared to the virtues, but this is due to a lack of vocabulary, as the philosopher states. Ethic. For gentleness seems to properly name the passion opposed to anger. But since there is a certain virtue between anger and gentleness, and we don't know how to name that virtue properly, we call it by the name of gentleness, because that virtue shares more in common with gentleness than with anger. Gentleness will therefore be an equivalent term for virtue and for the passion that is opposed to anger. If anyone wanted to work at it, they could find a proper name for it. But when it comes to matters, there is no need to worry about words at all. Therefore, once the passions have been enumerated, we can understand their number, because passions do not properly exist except in the sensitive appetite. The intellectual appetite is removed from such passions because it is not a virtue in the body, nor is it a virtue attached to an organ. Therefore, every passion (as we are speaking of passion here) will be in the sensitive appetite. The sensitive appetite, as we have said more broadly above, is divided into the irascible and the concupiscible. Thus, the aforementioned passions are distinguished in this way. For the first six, namely, love, hatred, desire, aversion, delight, and sadness, pertain to the appetitive part of the soul. The remaining six, however, pertain to the irascible part. The number of appetitive passions can be understood in this way: every passion and every movement of the soul that pertains to the appetitive part is either taken in relation to good or in relation to evil. If it is in relation to good, this is understood in three ways. For we are moved toward good through the appetitive part in three ways. For the good, when apprehended, first pleases us. Secondly, we tend toward it; thirdly, when we attain it, we find peace in it. As we find something good pleasing, there arises in us a desire; and as we find rest in it, joy and delight exist in us. Therefore, love, desire, and delight are taken in relation to the good. On the other hand, hatred, aversion, and sadness are taken in relation to evil. The number of passions related to desire can be understood this way: every passion and every movement of the soul related to desire is taken either with respect to the good or with respect to the evil. If it is with respect to the good, this can happen in three ways. For we are moved in three ways toward the good through desire. First, the good that is grasped pleases us. Second, we tend toward it; and third, having attained it, we find rest in it. Hope is nothing other than striving toward some difficult good. Regarding good things taken absolutely, there can be love, desire, or delight; however, hope concerning any good only exists if it has the character of being difficult. Therefore, if we strive for a difficult good, it is called hope. But if we fall away from such a good, it becomes despair. Hope and despair are thus understood in relation to good. Other passions, however, are understood in relation to evil. For evil can be considered in two ways: either as future or as present. If it is considered as future, this is done in two ways. Whether we approach it boldly, this is audacity; or whether we flee from it, this is fear. If evil is present, it can also be considered in two ways: either we rise up to take vengeance, and this is anger; or we turn away from such vengeance, and this is meekness. Since our movements and affections cannot vary in many ways, there will be twelve passions in total. Six pertain to the appetitive part, and six to the irascible part. We have discussed all these matters more extensively in the Rhetoric. However, these should suffice to pass through superficially.