For thus that author of philosophy argued: that as the disposition of a man's mind is, so is the man; such as the man is, such will be his discourse; his actions will correspond with his discourse, and his life with his actions.

But the disposition of a good man's mind is laudable; the life, therefore, of a good man is laudable; it is honorable, therefore, because laudable; the unavoidable conclusion from which is that the life of good men is happy.

For, good Gods! did I not make it appear, by my former arguments--or was I only amusing myself and killing time in what I then said ?--that the mind of a wise man was always free from every hasty motion which I call a perturbation, and that the most undisturbed peace always reigned in his breast?
A man, then, who is temperate and consistent, free from fear or grief, and uninfluenced by any immoderate joy or desire, cannot be otherwise than happy; but a wise man is always so, therefore he is always happy.
Moreover, how can a good man avoid referring all his actions and all his feelings to the one standard of whether or not it is laudable?
But he does refer everything to the object of living happily: it follows, then, that a happy life is laudable; but nothing is laudable without virtue: a happy life, then, is the consequence of virtue.

And this is the unavoidable conclusion to be drawn from these arguments.
XVII.

A wicked life has nothing which we ought to speak of or glory in; nor has that life which is neither happy nor miserable.