WHAT virtue or what mental grace But men unqualified and base Will boast in their possession? Profusion apes the noble part Of liberality of heart,
And dulness of discretion.
If every polished gem we find, Illuminating heart or mind, Provoke to imitation;
No wonder friendship does the same, That jewel of the purest flame, Or rather constellation.
No knave but boldly will pretend The requisites that form a friend, A real and a sound one, Nor any fool he would deceive, But prove as ready to believe,
And dream that he had found one.
Candid, and generous, and just,
Boys care but little whom they trust,
An error soon corrected
For who but learns in riper years, That man, when smoothest he appears, Is most to be suspected?
But here again a danger lies, Lest, having misapplied our eyes And taken trash for treasure, We should unwarily conclude Friendship a false ideal good, A mere Utopian pleasure.
An acquisition rather rare Is yet no subject of despair; Nor is it wise complaining, If either on forbidden ground, Or where it was not to be found, We sought without attaining.
No friendship will abide the test, That stands on sordid interest, Or mean self-love erected; Nor such as may awhile subsist Between the sot and sensualist, For vicious ends connected.
Who seek a friend, should come disposed To exhibit in full bloom disclosed
The graces and the beauties, That form the character he seeks, For 'tis an union that bespeaks Reciprocated duties.
Mutual attention is implied, And equal truth on either side, And constantly supported; "Tis senseless arrogance to accuse Another of sinister views,
Our own as much distorted.
But will sincerity suffice? It is indeed above all price, And must be made the basis; But every virtue of the soul Must constitute the charming whole, All shining in their places.
A fretful temper will divide The closest knot that may be tied,
By ceaseless sharp corrosion; A temper passionate and fierce May suddenly your joys disperse At one immense explosion.
In vain the talkative unite In hopes of permanent delight— The secret just committed Forgetting its important weight, They drop through mere desire to prate, And by themselves outwitted.
How bright soe'er the prospect seems, All thoughts of friendship are but dreams If envy chance to creep in ; An envious man, if you succeed, May prove a dangerous foe indeed, But not a friend worth keeping.
As envy pines at good possessed, So jealousy looks forth distressed On good, that seems approaching; And if success his steps attend, Discerns a rival in a friend,
And hates him for encroaching.
Hence authors of illustrious name, Unless belied by common fame, Are sadly prone to quarrel, To deem the wit a friend displays A tax upon their own just praise, And pluck each others laurel.
A man renowned for repartee Will seldom scruple to make free With friendship's finest feeling; Will thrust a dagger at your breast, And say he wounded you in jest, By way of balm for healing.
Whoever keeps an open ear For tattlers, will be sure to hear The trumpet of contention; Aspersion is the babbler's trade, To listen is to lend him aid, And rush into dissention.
A Friendship, that in frequent fits Of controversial rage emits The sparks of disputation, Like hand in hand insurance plates, Most unavoidably creates
The thought of conflagration.
Some fickle creatures boast a soul True as a needle to the pole,
Their humour yet so various
They manifest their whole life through The needle's deviations too,
Their love is so precarious.
The great and small but rarely meet On terms of amity complete, Plebeians must surrender,
And yield so much to noble folk, It is combining fire with smoke, Obscurity with splendour.
Some are so placid and serene (As Irish bogs are always green) They sleep secure from waking; And are indeed a bog, that bears Your unparticipated cares
Unmoved and without quaking.
Courtier and patriot cannot mix Their heterogeneous politics
Without an effervescence,
Like that of salts with lemon juice, Which does not yet like that produce A friendly coalescence.
Religion should extinguish strife, And make a calm of human life;
But friends that chance to differ On points, which God has left at large, How freely will they meet and charge, No combatants are stiffer!
To prove at last my main intent Needs no expense of argument, No cutting and contriving- Seeking a real friend we seem To adopt the chymist's golden dream, With still less hope of thriving.
Sometimes the fault is all our own, Some blemish, in due time made known, By trespass or omission; Sometimes occasion brings to light Our friend's defect, long hid from sight, And even from suspicion.
Then judge yourself, and prove your man As circumspectly as you can,
And having made election, Beware no negligence of yours, Such as a friend but ill endures, Enfeeble his affection.
That secrets are a sacred trust, That friends should be sincere and just, That constancy befits them; Are observations on the case, That savour much of common-place, And all the world admits them.
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