f dangers, abundance of wealth, and
the like; or they regard the powers of others, such as having a great
number of friends or any other means of help, especially if a man
trust in the Divine assistance: wherefore "those are more daring,
with whom it is well in regard to godlike things," as the Philosopher
says (Rhet. ii, 5). Fear is banished, in this way, by the removal of
threatening causes of fear; for instance, by the fact that a man has
no enemies, through having harmed nobody, so that he is not aware of
any imminent danger; since those especially appear to be threatened
by danger, who have harmed others.

On the part of the bodily transmutation, daring is caused through the
incitement of hope and the banishment of fear, by those things which
raise the temperature about the heart. Wherefore the Philosopher says
(De Part. Animal. iii, 4) that "those whose heart is small in size,
are more daring; while animals whose heart is large are timid;
because the natural heat is unable to give the same degree of
temperature to a large as to a small heart; just as a fire does not
heat a large house as well as it does a small house." He says also
(De Problem. xxvii, 4), that "those whose lungs contain much blood,
are more daring, through the heat in the heart that results
therefrom." He says also in the same passage that "lovers of wine are
more daring, on account of the heat of the wine": hence it has been
said above (Q. 40, A. 6) that drunkenness conduces to hope, since the
heat in the heart banishes fear and raises hope, by reason of the
dilatation and enlargement of the heart.

Reply Obj. 1: Drunkenness causes daring, not through being a defect,
but through dilating the heart: and again through making a man think
greatly of himself.

Reply Obj. 2: Those who have no experience of dangers are more
daring, not on account of a defect, but accidentally, i.e. in so far
as through being inexperienced they do not know their own failings,
nor the dangers that threaten. Hence it is that the removal of the
cause of fear gives rise to daring.

Reply Obj. 3: As the Philosopher says (Rhet. ii, 5) "those who have
been wronged are courageous, because they think that God comes to the
assistance of those who suffer unjustly."

Hence it is evident that no defect causes daring except accidentally,
i.e. in so far as some excellence attaches thereto, real or
imaginary, either in oneself or in another.
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FOURTH ART