 This is certainly one of the most interesting passages for those trying to understand the Simplicius’ view of the role of the commentator. The passage can, with caution, be considered a kind of self-portrait of the Neoplatonic commentator at work, a glimpse into his workshop, as it were. The good commentator must (1) be able to understand and follow Aristotle’s arguments (“greatness of intellect”). He must (2) have read all of Aristotle’s works and must know his terminology and ways of expressing himself (“customary use of language”). This is required in order to explain “Aristotle by means of Aristotle” (see [Pseudo-?]Simplicius, In de Anima 1.14–15, and Elias/David, In Cat. 123.7–11) and show that he does not contradict himself. The good commentator must also (3) be impartial, that is, not openly polemical against Aristotle and merely scoring points, but at the same time not an uncritical enthusiast. Simplicius illustrates this elsewhere with his well-known saying, “amicus Plato vel Aristoteles, sed magis amica veritas” (“Plato or Aristotle are dear to me, but much dearer is the truth”; see Tarán 1984 and In Cael. 301.19–21 [about Alexander]). In other words, it is certainly legitimate to criticise Aristotle. But things are different with respect to Plato, because it seems that Simplicius never criticised him. Finally, the good commentator must (4) strive for harmony in most cases, by means of a distinction between the superficial sense of a text (lexis) and its true or deeper meaning (nous).