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第4章

treatises on friendship and old age-第4章

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of their convictions_。 The men I have just named may serve as
examples。  Such men as these being generally accounted 〃good;〃
let us agree to call them so; on the ground that to the best of
human ability they follow nature as the most perfect guide to a
good life。

Now this truth seems clear to me; that nature has so formed us that
a certain tie unites us all; but that this tie becomes stronger from
proximity。  So it is that fellow…citizens are preferred in our
affections to foreigners; relations to strangers; for in their case
Nature herself has caused a kind of friendship to exist; though it is
one which lacks some of the elements of permanence。  Friendship
excels relationship in this; that whereas you may eliminate
affection from relationship; you cannot do so from friendship。 
Without it relationship still exists in name; friendship does not。
You may best understand this friendship by considering that;
whereas the merely natural ties uniting the human race are
indefinite; this one is so concentrated; and confined to so narrow a
sphere; that affection is ever shared by two persons only or at most
by a few。

6。 Now friendship may be thus defined: a complete accord on all
subjects human and divine; joined with mutual goodwill and
affection。 And with the exception of wisdom; I am inclined to
think nothing better than this has been given to man by the
immortal gods。  There are people who give the palm to riches or to
good health; or to power and office; many even to sensual
pleasures。  This last is the ideal of brute beasts; and of the others
we may say that they are frail and uncertain; and depend less on
our own prudence than on the caprice of fortune。 Then there are
those who find the 〃chief good〃 in virtue。  Well; that is a noble
doctrine。  But the very virtue they talk of is the parent and
preserver of friendship; and without it friendship cannot possibly
exist。

Let us; I repeat; use the word virtue in the ordinary acceptation and
meaning of the term; and do not let us define it in high…flown
language。 Let us account as good the persons usually considered
so; such as Paulus; Cato; Gallus; Scipio; and Philus。  Such men as
these are good enough for everyday life; and we need not trouble
ourselves about those ideal characters which are nowhere to be
met with。

Well; between men like these the advantages of friendship are
almost more than I can say。 To begin with; how can life he worth
living; to use the words of Ennius; which lacks that repose which
is to be found in the mutual good…will of a friend? What can be
more delightful than to have some one to whom you can say
everything with the same absolute confidence as to yourself?  Is
not prosperity robbed of half its value if you have no one to share
your joy? On the other hand; misfortunes would be hard to bear if
there were not some one to feel them even more acutely than
yourself。  In a word; other objects of ambition serve for particular
ends…riches for use; power for securing homage; office for
reputation; pleasure for enjoyment; health for' freedom from pain
and the full use of the functions of the body。  But friendship
embraces innumerable advantages。 Turn which way you please;
you will find it at hand。 It is everywhere; and yet never out of
place; never unwelcome。 Fire and water themselves; to use a
common expression; are not of more universal use than friendship。
I am not now speaking of the common or modified form of it;
though even that is a source of pleasure and profit; but of that true
and complete friendship which existed between the select few who
are known to fame。  Such friendship enhances prosperity; and
relieves adversity of its burden by halving and sharing it。

7。 And great and numerous as are the blessings of friendship; this
certainly is the sovereign one; that it gives us bright hopes for the
future and forbids weakness and despair。 In the face of a true
friend a man sees as it were a second self。  So that where his friend
is he is; if his friend be rich; he is not poor; though he be weak; his
friend's strength is his; and in his friend's life he enjoys a second
life after his own is finished。 This last is perhaps the most difficult
to conceive。 But such is the effect of the respect; the loving
remembrance; and the regret of friends which follow us to the
grave。  While they take the sting out of death; they add a glory to
the life of the survivors。 Nay; if you eliminate from nature the tie
of affection; there will be an end of house and city; nor will so
much as the cultivation of the soil be left。  If you don't see the
virtue of friendship and harmony; you may learn it by observing
the effects of quarrels and feuds。 Was any family ever so well
established; any State so firmly settled; as to be beyond the reach
of utter destruction from animosities and factions? This may teach
you the immense advantage of friendship。

They say that a certain philosopher of Agrigentum; in a Greek
poem; pronounced with the authority of an oracle the doctrine that
whatever in nature and the universe was unchangeable was so in
virtue of the binding force of friendship; whatever was changeable
was so by the solvent power of discord。  And indeed this is a truth
which everybody understands and practically attests by experience。 
For if any marked instance of loyal friendship in confronting or
sharing danger comes to light; every one applauds it to the echo。
What cheers there were; for instance; all over the theatre at a
passage in the new play of my friend and guest Pacuvius; where
the king; not knowing which of the two was Orestes; Pylades
declared himself to be Orestes; that he might die in his stead; while
the real Orestes kept on asserting that it was he。  The audience rose
_en masse_ and clapped their hands。 And this was at an incident in
fiction: what would they have done; must we suppose; if it had
been in real life? You can easily see what a natural feeling it is;
when men who would not have had the resolution to act thus
themselves; shewed how right they thought it in another。

I don't think I have any more to say about friendship。 If there is any
more; and I have no doubt there is much; you must; if you care to
do so; consult those who profess to discuss such matters。

_Fannius_。 We would rather apply to you。  Yet I have often
consulted such persons; and have heard what they had to say with a
certain satisfaction。  But in your discourse one somehow feels that
there is a different strain。

_Scaevola_。 You would have said that still more; Fannius; if you
had been present the other day in Scipio's pleasure…grounds when
we had the discussion about the State。 How splendidly he stood up
for justice against Philus's elaborate speech。

_Fannius_。  Ah! it was naturally easy for the justest of men to
stand up for justice。

_Scaevola_。 Well; then; what about friendship? Who could
discourse on it more easily than the man whose chief glory is a
friendship maintained with the most absolute fidelity; constancy;
and integrity?

8。 _Laclius_。 Now you are really using force。 It makes no
difference what kind of force you use: force it is。 For it is neither
easy nor right to refuse a wish of my sons…in…law; particularly
when
the wish is a creditable one in itself。

Well; then; it has very often occurred to me when thinking about
friendship; that the chief point to be considered was this: is it
weakness and want of means that make friendship desired? I
mean; is its object an interchange of good offices; so that each may
give that in which he is strong; and receive that in which he is
weak? Or is it not rather true that; although this is an advantage
naturally belonging to friendship; yet its original cause is quite
other; prior in time; more noble in character; and springing more
directly from our nature itself? The Latin word for friendship…
_amicitia_…is derived from that for love…_amor_; and love is
certainly the prime mover in contracting mutual affection。 
For as to material advantages; it often happens that those are
obtained even by men who are courted by a mere show of
friendship and treated with respect from interested motives。  But
friendshi

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