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The common measure must be some one thing, and also from

agreement (for which reason it is called νόμισμα), for this makes

all things commensurable: in fact, all things are measured by

money. Let B represent ten minae, A a house worth five minae, or

in other words half B, C a bed worth 1/10th of B: it is clear

then how many beds are equal to one house, namely, five.

It is obvious also that exchange was thus conducted before the

existence of money: for it makes no difference whether you give

for a house five beds or the price of five beds.

Chapter IX.

We have now said then what the abstract Just and Unjust are, and

these having been defined it is plain that just acting is a mean

between acting unjustly and being acted unjustly towards: the

former being equivalent to having more, and the latter to having

less.