fhip. True and brave friendships are between worthy perfons; and there is in mankind no degree of worthinefs, but is also a degree of usefulnefs, and by every thing by which a man is excellent, I may be profited: and because those are the bravest friends which can beft ferve the ends of friendships, either we must fuppofe that friendfhips are not the greatest comforts in the world, or elfe we must fay, he chooses his friend beft, that chooses fuch an one by whom he can receive the greatest comforts and affiftances.

3. This being the measure of all friendships, they all partake of excellency, according as they are fitted to this meafure; a friend may be counfelled well enough, though his friend be not the wifeft man in the world; and he may be pleafed in his fociety, though he be not the beft natured man in the world; but ftill it must be that fomething excellent is, or is apprehended, or else it can be no worthy friendship; because the choice is imprudent and foolish. Choose for your friend him that is wife and good, fecret and juft, ingenuous and honeft; and in thofe things which have a latitude, ufe your own liberty; but in fuch things which confist in an indevifable point, make no abatements; that is, you must not choose him to be your friend that is not honeft and fecret, juft and true to a title; but if he be wife at all, and useful in any degree, and as good as you can have him, you need not be afhamed to own your friendships, though fometimes you may be afhamed of fome imperfections of your friend.

4. But if you yet enquire further, whether fancy may be an ingredient in your choice? I answer that fancy may minister to this as to all other actions in which there is a liberty and variety; and we fhall find that there may be peculiarities and little partialities, a friendship improperly

properly focalled, entering upon accounts of an innocent paffion and a pleafed fancy; even our. bleffed Saviour himself loved St. John and Lazarus by a special love, which was fignified by fpecial treatments; and of the young man that spake well and wifely to Chrift; it is affirmed, Jefus loved him, that is, he fancied the man, and his foul had a certain cognation and fimilitude of temper and inclination. For in all things where there is a latitude, every faculty will endeavour to be pleased, and fometimes the meaneft perfons in an house have a feftival: even fympathies and natural inclinations to fome perfons, and a conformity of humours, and proportionable loves and the beauty of the face, and a witty anfwer may first strike the flint and kindle a fpark, which if it falls upon tender and compliant natures may grow into a flame; but this will never be maintained at the rate of friendship, unless it be fed by pure materials, by worthineffes which are the food of friendship; where these are not, men and women may be pleafed with one another's company, and lye under the fame roof, and maket themselves companions of equal profperities, and humour their friend; but if you call this friendfhip, you give a facred name to humour or fancy; for there is a platonic friendship as well as a platonic love; but they being but the images of more noble bodies are but like tinfel dreffings, which will fhew bravely by candle light, and do excellently in a mask, but are not fit for converfation and the material intercourfes of our life. These are the prettineffes of profperity and good natured wit; but when we fpeak of friendship, which is the best thing in the world (for it is love and beneficence, it is charity that is fitted for fociety) we cannot fuppofe a brave pile fhould be built up with nothing; and they that build. caffles in the air, and look upon friendship, as

upon

upon a fine romance, a thing that pleases the fancy, but is good for nothing elfe, will do well when they are asleep, or when they are come to Elyfium and for ought I know in the mean time may be as much in love with Mandana in the Grand Cyrus, as with the Infanta of Spain, or any of the most perfect beauties and real excellencies of the world and by dreaming of perfect and abstracted friendships, make them fo immaterial that they perish in the handling and become good for nothing.

But I know not whether I was going; I only meant to say that because friendship is that by which the world is most bleffed and receives most good, it ought to be chofen amongst the worthiest persons, that is, amongst those that can do greatest benefit to each other; and though in equal worthiness I may choose by my eye, or ear, that is, into the confideration of the effential I may take in also the accidental and extrinfic worthineffes; yet I ought to give every one their juft value, when the internal beauties are equal, these fhall help to weigh down the fcale, and I will love a worthy friend that can delight me as well as profit me, rather than him who cannot delight me at all, and profit me no more; but yet I will not weigh the gayeft flowers, or the wings of butterflies against wheat; but when I am to choose wheat, I may take that which looks the brightest. I had rather fee thyme and roses, marjoram and july-flowers, that are fair and fweet and medicinal, then the prettiest tulips that are good for nothing: and my fheep and kine are better fervants than race horfes.and gray hounds: and I shall rather furnish my study with Plutarch and Cicero, with Livy and Polybius, than with Caffandra and Ibrahim Baffa: and if I do give an hour to these for divertisement or pleafure, yet I

will

will dwell with them that can inftruct me, and make me wife and eloquent, fevere and useful to myself and others. I end this with the faying of Lelius in Cicero: amicitia non debet confequi utilitatem, fed amicitiam utilitas. When I choose my friend I will not ftay till I have received a kindness; but I will choose fuch an one that can do me many. if I need them: but I mean fuch kindneffes which make me wifer and better; that is, when I choose my friend, I will choofe him that is the braveft, the worthieft and the most excellent perfon and then your firft question is foon answered; to love such a person and to contract fuch friendships is just so authorized by the principles of chriftianity, as it is warranted to love wifdom and virtue, goodnefs and beneficence, and all the impreffes of God upon the fpirits of

brave men.

2. The next enquiry is, how far it may extend? that is, by what expreffions it may be fignified? I find that David and Jonathan loved at a strange rate; they were both good men; though it happened that Jonathan was on the obliging fide; but here the expreffions were Jonathan watched for David's good; told him of his danger, and helped him to escape; took part with David's innocence against his father's malice and injustice: and beyond all this did it to his own prejudice; and they two ftood like two feet fupporting one body; though Jonathan knew that David would prove like the foot of a wrestler, and would fupplant him, not by any unworthy or unfriendly action, but it was from God; and he gave him his hand to fet him upon his own throne.

We find his parallels in the Gentile ftories": young Athenodorus having divided the estate with his brother Xenon, divided it again when Xenon had fpent his own fhare; and Lucullus would

not

f

not take the confulfhip till his younger brother had first enjoyed it for a year, but Pollux divided with Caftor his immortality; and you know who offered himself to death being a pledge for his friend, and his friend by performing his word rescued him as bravely. And when we find in fcripture that for a good man fome will even dare to die; and that Aquila and Prifcilla laid their necks down for St. Paul; and the Galatians would have given him their very eyes, that is, every thing that was most dear to them, and fome others were near unto death for his fake, and that it is a precept of chriftian charity to lay down our lives for our brethren, that is, those who were combined in a caufe of religion, who were united with the fame hopes, and imparted to each other ready affiftances, and grew dear by common fufferings, we need enquire no further for the expreffions of friendship: greater love than this hath no man, than that he lay down his life for his friends; and this we are obliged to do in fome cafes for all chriftians, and therefore we may do it for those who are to us in this present and imperfect state of things, that which all the good men and women in the world shall be in heaven, that is, in the state of perfect friendships. This is the biggeft, but then it includes and can fuppofe all the reft; and if this may be done for all, and in fome cafes must for any one of the multitude, we need not fcruple whether we may do it for those who are better than a multitude. as for the thing itself, it is not eafily and lightly to be done; and a man must not die for humour, nor expend so great a jewel for a triffle: minis ἀνεπνεύσαμεν εἰδότες ἐπ ̓ ἐδενὶ λυσιτελεῖ παρανάλωμα YENGELOL, faid Philo; we will hardly die when γενησόμενοι, it is for nothing, when no good, no worthy end is ferved, and become a facrifice to redeem a foot

But

boy.