to

that Interim up comes his former Chap once more, and began to tell him, with all the Impudence imaginable, that thofe Feathers he had already would be of no Service to him, unless he had his whole Stock. Upon which the Peacock defir'd be excus'd, laying that thofe he had left were high ly neceffary to the well-being of his Carcafs; befides the exceffive Pain, which the plucking them off muft occafion to him. The Kite in a Huff, and without any further Intreaties, fell upon him, and with his Beak and Claws did his belt endeavours to skin him The Peacock with much ado got off, but not without reproaching him with his Ingratitude: Behold, fays he, falfe and deceitful Friend! those two Pigeons, who think themselves for ever obliged to me for two or three of my Feathers; Whereas thou,ungrateful Wretch! not satisfied with all that I could pare, and what I might have honeftly deny'd thee, look upon your felf to have received nothing, unless you can, by fair or foul Means, frip me of all!

"

The MORA L.

This Fiction fets before us the Power and Influence of Beauty over its Beholders, whofe Hearts are thereby as it were enchanted, and vanquish'd by its conquering Charms. It fhews us likewife, that too great Condefcenfion and Readiness in a Benefactor to grant Favours, does but encourage the Receiver to become more troublesom and impèrtinent: And likewise, that a true and fincere Friend would rather chufe to put himself to fome Inconveniency, than by a Refufal give any difcontent to the Perfon whom he loves; and laftly, that a faithful Friend is often put out of Countenance when obliged to ask for Favours, whereas a

falfe

false One is neverContented until he hath, like the Kite in the Fable, ftript his Benefactor of all. Now feeing that Friendship, is truly and pro perly to be call'd, the Bafis and Foundation of Happiness in this Life, without which all Society, Commerce, and fatisfactory Enjoyments would be at an End; It is not a little difficult to diftinguifh a real Friend, from an ordinary Companion, or Acquaintance; for as Seneca hath judiciously obferv'd, Every Man is not a Friend that makes us a Vifit. And many there are, who affume to themfelves the Name of Friends, whilft at the fame time they have nothing in View, but their own Advantage and Intereft. Such temporary Friends, who love for their own Sake, and who are continually spurring on their Benefactor, without fo much as confidering, whether their Requests be either juft or reasonable, do but abuse this moft noble and excellent Virtue, wherein there ought to be an Emulation who fhall Oblige moft. There are fome others, whom we may honestly call the Followers of a Man's Profperity, who by their continual Attention to the Rife and Fall of their Friend's Fortune, will at certain Times be very Obliging, but always with a defign of receiving fome much greater Benefit; whereas true Friendship delights in doing Good, for no other Reason, than Friendship itself. Far be it therefore, that we should reckon up any fuch Monsters in Friendfhip amongst our real Friends; for they never prov'd fo to any, though for their own Conveniency they often have the Impudence, like the Kite in the Fable, to call themselves your true Friend, as they would any Body else upon Occafion. And fhould a wife and prudent Man, at any time discover any fuch amongst his Acquaintance, whom he might by Mistake have taken for

his

his Friend, he ought to difengage himself by de. grees, 'till he hath artfully fhook-off that dangerous Abufer of Friendship, the Name of which he makes use of for a Cloak to his own finifter Defigns, and mercenary Views.

Friendship will not allow us to mifapply fome certain Conditions, that render it venerable and facred. Neither do I think it more just to assist a Friend, in his Neceffities and Troubles, by a timely Succour, both fuitable to the Benefactor, and Receiver, than reasonable to repel, by an honeft Refusal, the infolent Importunities of a greedy and infatiable Temper.

How many do we daily fee of thofe CourtFriends, whofe Friendship lafts no longer than their Intereft; who when they find an easy, condescending, honeft Man, immediately strike up to him, and make it their Bufinefs to engage him in their Interest and Concerns? Which they have no fooner effected, but one while they have Oc cafion for Money to fet up a pompous Equipage, another Time to pay off a troublefom Creditor, very often to fupply the Expences of a lewd Life: And thus they are continually ready to receive from a liberal Friend, as long as he is willing to give: And when once he has granted fome, even unreasonable Requests, and which might in Honour have been deny'd, it generally comes to this, that if thenceforth he refufes any at all, though perhaps he should alledge his want ofPower for an Excufe, they take an occafion from thence to fall out with him, and in order to get clear of the Obligation, which Gratitude had laid them under of requiting paft Kindneffes (for an Avaricious Man is always Ungrateful) they turn the Obligations into Crimes, and rail at their Benefactor, and load him with Reproaches, by a de teftable Ingratitude.

I do

I do not fee any Reason why all Friends should be of the fame Humour with Avitus, who having given an Invitation to Alcibiades, to come to take a Supper with him; and as he could not be there at the Beginning of the Repast, by Reason of fome urging Business, he came in of a fudden, the Company being at Table, and carrying off with him most part of the Silver Plate, made Avitus to fmile, faying, that the Friendship that was between them entitled him to the Liberty of doing whatsoever he pleas'd.

Perhaps here it may be faid, that Friendship lays all Things in common between Friends, and that the one may at his Pleasure dispose of the other's Goods as his own: To this I anfwer, that it is a dangerous Maxim, for this Reafon, that that fort of Friendship, inftead of affifting and helping a Friend, which is the chief defign of it, would very often render one of them, if not both, Needy and Miserable. Could any one think that Friendship injur'd or violated, because a Man is loath to throw away, upon a profuse voluptuous Perfon, that very Subftance, which himself and Family ftand in need of? Shall he strip himself of his Cloak, and bestow it upon an idle Fellow, that will go and fell it as foon as he hath got it in his Poffeffion?

Hepheftion would have been rekon'd very Un reasonable, as well as a Man of a weak Judgment, if he had thought it in his Power to difpofe of the whole Fortune of Alexander; becaufe that glorious Monarch esteem'd him as his most intimate and bofom Friend: Far from that,he gave fuch remarkarbleTokens of his dif-interested Love,which plainly prov'd, that it neither had its Rife from, nor adher'd to any Thing elfe, besides Alexander's own Perfon, that he prefer'd the Honour of fol

f

lowing him, before thofe Kingdoms which he defpifed, and might fafely and with honour have accepted from Alexander's Hands.

Benefits must always be meafur'd by the Power of the Benefactor; and that Man, that will excuse himself from giving his Friend Two Crowns, by reafon of his prefent Circumftances he cannot afford it may be, in the main, a better Friend than a Perfon of Quality, that fhall grant a Hundred Times more. The affectionate Manner, and Good-will of the Donor, are greater Indications of Friendship, than the Number or Value of Gifts.

Anaxarchus, having fignify'd to Alexander the Great, that he flood in Need of fome Money, that Prince gave orders, to his Treasurer, to pay to him whatever he had occafion for to fupply his Wants: This Philofopher, whilft he was about it, ask'd for four hundred Talents, which were worth above eighty thousand Crowns of our Money. The Treasurer, being a little startled at his unreafonable Demand, told him, that he would inform the King of it, and did it the fame Day, thinking that he would make fome Abatement; but Alexander anfwer'd him, with a gracious Smile, Give him what he asketh, Anaxarchus knows whom he has for a Friend, and what that Friend can do!

But I ftill less admire that great Inftance of Generofity, than the following Relation of a true Friendship (which fome take to be a Romance,call'd by the Name of the Poor Man's Will) between three Philofophers. They had always lived closely bound together with the two Bleffings of Mankind, Reafon and Union, and had equally look'd down. with Scorn upon the Gifts of Fortune; infomuch that one of them happening to, ficken, bequeathed by his last Will and Teftament, the Care and Maintenance of his aged Mother to one of his

ང་

Friends,