against Pain, and gives us the true Use of our Limbs. Friendship contains in it a Number of Conveniences: It is of Service in all Exigencies and Circumstances of Life; is to be excluded from no Place or Occafion; can never be unfeasonable, never troublesome.

The fame great Orator gives a fignal Inftance of the Force of Friendship, and its Confonance to human Nature. When Marcus Pacuvius wrote his Tragedy of Pylades and Oreftes, wherein the latter being in Danger from the Refentments of a Prince, to whom he was perfonally unknown, the gallant Pylades, to rescue his Friend from Death. proclaim'd that he was Oreftes; and Oreftes, as fearful of his Friend's Danger, ftrove to convince them of the Error they were running into through the Generosity of Pylades, and as conftantly afferted, that he alone was the obnoxious Perfon. The Philofopher makes the following Remark on fo pathetic an Incident: Stantes plaudebant in re fitâ: quid arbitramur in verâ fuisse facturos? Facile indicabat ipfa natura vim fuam; cùm bomines, quod facere ipfi non poffent, id rectè fieri in aliero judicarent: The Audience, fays he, applauded the Fiction; what are we to think they would bave done, bad it been a Reality? Nature herself, without Constraint, confefs'd ber Force, when Men judg'd that

bravely done in another, which they could not bave perform'd themselves.

Now, though many and fignal Advantages are reap'd from Friendship, yet it ought not to flow from a fordid Hope thereof, or be founded on fo bafe a Bottom as Intereft: For as we are liberal, and inclin❜d to good Offices, not to make a Merit, or be thanked for our Services, (for we are not to play the Ufurers in Benefits, but be carried to Bounty by a Propenfity in Nature;) fo we must conceive, that Friendship is not to be fought from a View to Profit, and an avaricious Inclination, but all its Fruits and Advantages fhould confift in the Paffion of Love and mutual Benevolence. This Correfpondence of Love is to put them on an abfolute Equality; and all their Emulation and Strife muft be, which can get the Start in Acts of Kindness.

On whatever Terms of Inequality the Union be contracted, Love muft reconcile the Lines of Difference, and make them run parallel. He that ftands on an Eminence of Fortune, muft ftoop his Hand for his Friend, and raise him up towards his own Ground: The Advantage must be laid afleep. There must be no Challenge of Superiority, or discountenancing of Freedom on the one Hand; nothing of Envy or Repining on the other. As far as Prudence

dence and Justice will permit we ought to ufe a Friend with all the Frankness and Generofity imaginable. There must be no. Stinting of Inclination, no Computing upon Favours, for fear we should do more than we receive; for this is more like Merchandize than Friendship. Exactnefs, and Management, and Observation, are Signs of Indifferency and Diftruft: Such a Practice may do well enough among Strangers; but a Friend fhould be treated at a nobler Rate, and used with more Confidence and Affection. We fhould examine his Occafions, and prevent his Defires; nor give him Time to think he wanted an Affiftance. A Forwardness to oblige, is a great Grace upon a Kindness, and doubles the intrinfic Worth.

If the Confiderations of Profit were to be the Cement of Friendship, as the Advantage flacken'd, the Union would diffolve: But as Nature cannot be chang'd; fo Friendfhips, established on her Principles, are never impair'd, but are of equal Duration with Life.

It ought to be a principal Law in Friendfhips, neither to require an unjust Thing to be done, nor to do one on Importunity: Friendship there lofes its Name, where Violations of Confcience or Honour intrude. All Importunities against Justice, are feverish Defires,

Defires and not to be qualified. He that would engage me unwarrantably, takes me for an ill Perfon: His Motion is an Af front, and I ought to renounce him for the Injury of his Opinion: This Rule proves the Maxim I but now advanced, That real Friendship could only be amongst good Men, and exifts in Virtue.

It has been a pretty difficult Question (fays CICERO) whether new Friends, that are not unworthy of being admitted into Friendship, are ever to be preferred to old ones: As it is ufual to efteem young Horfes above those worn with Years and Service. A Doubt, fays he, unworthy of a Man: For we ought not to be fatiated with Friendship, as with other Things. Moft Things (like Wines that will bear Age) fhould have an Aditional Sweetness from Time: And in this one Inftance under Debate, we may believe the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach: Forfake not an old Friend; for the new is not comparable to him: A new Friend is as new Wine; when it is cld thou fhalt drink it with Pleafure.

As we are to indulge a Friend when chofe, fo likewise our Election must be regulated by Time: We are not to be rafh and precipitate, but let Deliberation and Judgment approve our Choice. Βραδέως μὴν φίλω Yeve, fays SOCRATES; Make thyself a Friend flowly. The facred Author, I be

F.

fore

fore quoted, ftrikes in with the Reasonablenefs of this Opinion; If thou wouldst get a Friend, prove him first, and be not hafty to credit: For fome Man is a Friend for his own Occafion, and will not abide in the Day of tby Trouble: And there is a Friend, who being turn'd to Enmity and Strife, will discover thy Reproach. 'Tis plain, therefore, that we ought to make choice of Perfons of fuch Honour, for our Friends, as, if they should cease to be fo, will not abuse our Confidence, nor give us caufe to fear them as Enemies.

As the Danger of Converfation lies in the Society of Perfons of vicious Principles, so the greateft Hazard of contracting FriendShips, is for fear of falling into the Hands of Flatterers: For, Flattery, to describe it, in a Word, is no better than Interest under the Disguise of Friendship: 'Tis a smooth Application to the Vanity of another. The Art confifts in ftealing on the blind Side, feizing the Humour, and managing the Weakness of a willing Property: With one of this Conftitution, Terence's Obfervation is valid, Obfequium amicos, veritas odium parit: That Obfequioufnefs alone makes them Friends, and telling the Truth incurs their Averfion.

The Wealthy and the Powerful are most obnoxious to this Sort of Impofition. A Flatterer's Aim is generally Intereft; and there